Never Surrender
by ShatterTheHeavens
Summary: There are children who are fortunate to have a loving family to support them throughout life. However, there are others who aren't so fortunate. Loosing everything dear to me, I never believed in second chances. But that doesn't mean I can't fight back.
1. Prologue Part 1

**Okay, first things first. I do not own any characters from the Devil May Cry games, anime series, nor the manga. If I did, well...I really do not know. But anyways. Who I do have property rights over are Shawna and any OC characters that appear only in this story.**

**With that out of the way, I do hope you guys enjoy this story. XD**

* * *

><p>Have you ever heard of the legend of Sparda? Quite the tale, isn't it? The Dark Knight that turned against his own demon brethren for the sake of mankind. The single demon who got all the credit for the protection of the human race. That what you were told as a child, right? Well, the tale was not all that had happened. Sparda was not the only one who turned against the Demon Emperor. There were others. None of real importance, but one in particular stood out among the few followers of the Dark Knight. One whose powers rivaled even the great demon himself. You want to know who? Well, that tale is for another time to tell.<p>

A lone woman stood amongst the shadows, awaiting her prey. The seconds went by. Minutes. Still, nothing. Dark eyes closed away from sight. The lady sighed and reached into her pocket, pulling out a small box and lighter. The flicker of a small flame erupted the darkness of the night, illuminating her face just briefly. Her pale, yet entrancing skin glowed in the ghostly moonlight. Dark tresses framed her face and cascaded down passed her broad shoulders, ending mid-back.

She drew in a deep breath, savoring the intoxicating taste of the cigarette. One would think that it was unhealthy for a woman to smoke, but it didn't phase her. It never did. Smoking, for her, was like reminiscing in the past. To remind her of the family she once had. To deal with the problems of the present. Many have told her that it was unhealthy, but the toxins never did bother her. No one knew of who she really was, her past a mystery to even her few human friends. Only two people knew of her background and she intended on keeping it that way.

"Looks like it's going to be a long night, my friend," a slight British accent echoed from the depths of her throat.

Dark eyes opened to survey their surroundings. They were a strange shade of blue. During the day, they were deep sapphire, holding a tinge of black. But when the sun went down, they were as bright as the moon itself, glowing like as if there was a faint light behind the glassy surface of the ocean. Her hair was dark mahogany with streaks of ashen-brown and auburn. Her naturally-slim body was well-built from over the years of work. Her attire was none too extravagant: a simple, leather corset matched with satin slacks that hugged her curved hips, exposing the toned flesh underneath.

A low growl, unheard by human ears, echoed off the walls of a nearby alley way. The woman's eyes drifted over in that direction and made contact with a pair of blood-red irises. Another growl resounded to her left. Glancing briefly without taking her eyes off of the first target, the lady was able to make out the distorted shape of what appeared to many as a monster. Demon. Long arms rippled with rock-hard muscles, ending in clawed hands that could rip the unfortunate apart within seconds. Its hind legs were slightly shorter but just as well-built. A single, thick tail trailed behind the form, swinging from side-to-side. The creatures jaws were short, but not too short. Long, sharp teeth dotted the insides and gleamed with sight of fresh blood. That was evidence of their most recent victim.

The woman closed her eyes, regretful that she was not fast enough to catch the monsters before they took the life of another human. It disgusted her. A snarl stopped any more thoughts from going through her head, bringing her attention to the matter at hand.

"So, you boys finally decided to show your ugly faces," she was met with more snarls. "Hmph. Then, what do you say if we danced a little before the real party begins."

As if agreeing with her, the demons lunged at the lone form. The intention of claiming another meal stuck in their lowly minds. A chuckle erupted from the woman's mouth. A mere side-step took care of the demon to her right, causing it to abruptly crash into its partner. She took another drag from her cigarette and gazed down at the pile of meat currently fighting with each other. The drops of blood caught her eyes briefly, along with the sound of ripping flesh.

"Dear Lord, you boys are a mess. Fighting with each other like this," she shook her head.

The demons' attention was caught instantly and they forgot about their little spat. Once again they lunged at the woman, clearly not wanting to miss any chance they had. Unfortunately, for one of them, its beady eyes were met with the barrel of a handgun. A flash of silver showed the intricate designs that laced around the barrel. The shot of the single bullet pierced the sky, ending the demon's life in less than a second. The second demon glanced over at the body of its comrade, watching as the flesh slowly turned to ash and was swept away in the wind. Anger and hatred filled the beast's roar as it blindly jumped at the woman, claws and teeth bared. The woman smirked and reached over her shoulder. The demon's screech resounded down the alley, followed with the 'thud' of its body hitting the ground.

"Really, now," she grimaced in disapproval. "I was hoping for a bit more of a fight tonight."

She glanced down at the silvery blade that extended passed her hand. The blade was gorgeous, just like the gun. It had a leathery handle, and the guard was twisted and bent to form the shape of a cross. Beyond that was the blade, glimmering in all of its glory. Drops of demon blood dripped down the steel surface, tracing the delicate lines that laced into designs reminiscent of the Celtic Arts. She wiped the blade on the demon's decaying carcass and placed the blade back into her back holster.

"Well, I guess my job here is done," she took one more drag before putting the bud out in the fallen demon's corpse before it dissolved away. Yes, she was well-known for her sadistic streak but inside the exterior was the gentleness of a mother and wife, "Well, I might as well head back home and see how my love is doing."

After receiving the pay for the job, the woman headed back to her house. It wasn't much. One would think with the pay she gets, that she would be living in a mansion but she didn't. She liked simple architecture and not be surrounded by the luxuries that most rich people douse themselves in. She hated that. Instead, she had settled for a small two-story house that rested on an open lot. There were few neighbors, but that didn't bother neither her nor her lover. They enjoyed the peace and quiet, and the few neighbors that did live in the area were kind and respected each other's privacy.

"Home, sweet home."

She smiled. A genuine smile, not one of those half smiles, half smirks that she gives to the demons and people that piss her off. She walked up to the front door and opened it. She was instantly welcomed by the sweet scent of vanilla and cinnamon. The furniture was simple leather but was surprisingly comfortable enough to take a nap on. There was a chair on the left side of the 'living room' with a couch/loveseat in the middle, facing the only expensive merchandise of entire household. A 48-inch, HD TV. Looking to the right of the couch was a doorway that led to the kitchen. The woman loved to cook and while she wasn't hunting and her lover was at the Academy, she usually spent several hours cooking up new recipes. She smiled at the thought of a possible, new recipe for dinner that night.

She glanced to her right and there sat the stairs that led to the upstairs bedrooms. Only two rooms: one for her and her love and the other one awaited for the arrival of a new, soon-to-come member of the family. The main bedroom was large, but not too large. It had a queen-sized bed with a walk-out balcony that showed the hills beyond the city. A single dresser and walk-in closet rested on the wall perpendicular to the doorway. The other bedroom had simple lavender-colored walls. On one side of the room sat a small crib, inside of which was the clean linen sheets for the upcoming babe.

The woman's breath suddenly hitched, then calmed as a pair of strong arms wrapped around her mid-section. She leaned back, feeling the muscular chest of her lover. She could feel his warm breath on her neck.

"You were out working again," a deep, husky voice whispered into the woman's ear. "I thought you said that you'd stop for a while."

The woman chuckled softly and rested her hand on his, on the barely-noticeable bulge that was starting to form near her abdomen. It was unheard of for someone to love someone else such as herself, but this was evidence of 'true love', as the humans called it. The two had met in a bar some five years in the past. The relationship was rocky at first, thanks to the woman's uncaring and sadistic personality, but they were able to pull through. That previous hatred had turned into friendship, then into love. Just a few months ago, they had decided that they were ready to start a family. Seemed nearly impossible at first because of the woman's career, but they were able to work it out.

"I know, I know," she sighed, turning around to fully embrace her lover. "But when desperate measures call, I need to help out. You know I don't like to sit around for months on end."

"True," he chuckled, "but I can't help but worry for the safety of you and the baby. I love you both too much to lose either of you."

That made the woman smile. She leaned up and was met with the man's warm, soft lips. After a few more pecks, the woman gazed at the man's narrow face and up at his eyes. They were hazel-brown and were framed by the shaggy tresses of his brown hair. The faint shadow of what could be a possible beard forming, stubbed his chin. Both of them were heart-breakers. She, with her body and attitude, and he, with his looks and gentleness.

"Thankfully, there aren't as many call-ins lately. Only the occasional emergency I must take."

"I know," the man brushed away a few loose strands from his love's eyes, revealing their beauty, "I love you so much."


	2. Prologue Part 2

**Okay, first things first. I do not own any characters from the Devil May Cry games, anime series, nor the manga. If I did, well...I really do not know. But anyways. Who I do have property rights over are Shawna and any OC characters that appear only in this story.**

**With that out of the way, I do hope you guys enjoy this story. XD**

* * *

><p>Work was nowhere as busy as it had been over the years. Normally, there would be at least a call or two every day or so, but lately there had not been one for weeks. It was this that began to concern the woman. One would think that this was a blessing, but that wasn't the case. At first, the woman thought that demon-hunting season was over; but as the fewer and fewer calls took place, she began to worry. Even her lover started to get bad vibes about the whole ordeal.<p>

Thankfully, no demon attacks or other unpleasant surprises had happened during the pregnancy. The woman gave birth to a healthy baby girl. The man was hoping to have a boy, but when he saw his eyes in the baby's, he couldn't help but smile. She was gorgeous. The girl carried on the characteristics of both parents. She had the eyes and skin of her father, while possessing the attitude, hair, and body of her mother. Over the years, those characteristics started surfacing even more. Her eyes became more of a rich-mahogany and her ashen hair darkened to midnight black with undertones of red.

_Ten Years Later_

"Honey, I'm going out for a bit," a gentle voice echoed from downstairs.

"Is it another call?"

A tall man walked out to the top of the staircase. He had grown slightly taller over the years, and his skin darkened to a golden tan. His dark eyes glanced into the oceanic depths of his lover. The once wild blue eyes that had softened since her pregnancy glanced back. A small smile drifted onto her lips.

"Yeah," she nodded. "It's been a while since the last call, so something must have finally turned up. I won't be gone for too long. Has she woke up yet?"

The man shook his head, saying that she refuses to get out of bed. The woman laughed lightly at the irony. She had used to be that way years before.

"Well, she's still has got another hour before school starts. Let's try and not have her get another detention for being late." She hugged her lover when he walked down the stairs. "Knowing her, she'd just completely ignore the Principal's lectures and walk out."

"Hehehe. And whom does that remind me of from so long ago?" the man chuckled as he held her.

They stayed like that for several minutes before the woman was forced to leave. They said their good-byes and departed. The man put his hands on his waist and glanced up to the top floor.

"I'm going to have to think of a new way to wake that child up. Doesn't she realize that life isn't all about sleep and playing?" He shook his head. "Shawna! Time to wake up!"

Nothing. Not a single peep was returned, causing the man to sigh heavily. '_That girl is going to be the death of me one of these days_.' He strutted up the steps and down the hall to the last door at the end. The wasn't much decoration except for the "Stay Away" sign above a well-drawn dragon that his daughter refused to clean off the door. He was impressed, really. Not many family members on his side of the family had good drawing skills. The last artist in his family was his Great-Grandmother who had passed away just days before his daughter's birth. It was in her honor that Shawna was given her name.

The man shook his head from the memories. He reached out and gripped the door handle. Opening it, he was welcomed by the multiple paper drawings that dotted the walls and on the floor in piles upon piles. '_How many times have I told her to keep this room clean_?' He glanced over towards the bed against the back wall, next to the window. A barely-noticeable lump was made out from under the thin sheets. The man chuckled when the 'lump' moved ever so slightly.

"Come on, Shawna." He walked over to the bed, gently shaking the lump. "You have to get up for school. You wouldn't want to get in trouble again, would you?"

"...Why should I, daddy," a small voice mumbled in a soft whisper. "The kids there tease me anyways, so what's the point...?"

"Oh, Shawna," the man sighed, "They can't be that bad-"

"They tease me constantly because I'm so different from them," the voice interrupted her father. A single brown eye opened in her father's direction. "Why do they hate me? And why do most of the parents there hate mommy as well?"

The man's eyes softened and he frowned slightly. He knew why there was discrimination in the schools, but he and his wife refused to pay any attention to it. The one thing that he hated was the fact that he and his wife were keeping a secret from their daughter. Why? They didn't want Shawna to hate herself because of who she was. However, they never imagined that she would be bothered at school when she, herself, did not know the reason. There were times, like this one where Shawna would ask '"Why?" and the response she would get was that she was special. But they knew that she knew that they were lying. She just never talked back. That was the way she was: a quiet girl who knew when a person was lying and when they were telling the truth.

When Shawna had gone to school on 'Family Career' Day, she told the class that her dad was a kind of policeman while her mother was a "monster hunter." She was laughed at all day, but when the parents of the students found out what she meant by "monster hunter," they started telling their children that she was dangerous. It was then that she started getting teased constantly, being called "the daughter of a monster" or "devil child." It broke the hearts of the man and his wife. That was why they moved away from their old home and into Limbo City. But rumors spread in ways that was unheard of. Friends and family member of the students and teachers heard of Shawna, and the teasing continued.

"Just try and go to school today. It's the last day of school this year." The man smoothed his daughter's silken hair. "Besides, if things get too bad for you, just call me. Okay?"

"Okay, daddy." Shawna opened both eyes and smiled at her dad. "When will mommy be back? I heard you talking downstairs."

"She'll be back when you get home," he chuckled. "And when she does get home, we'll be having spaghetti and meatballs for dinner."

That brightened his daughter's smile. She immediately got out of bed and started getting ready, only stopping to push her dad out of her room. He laughed while she cried out that she "needed her privacy." How she learned things like privacy was beyond the man. He knew his daughter was beyond having proper manners, but he loved her.

_Later that day_

A loud knock interrupted the man as he was busy working on some files. His brown hair swayed to the side as he glanced at the door.

"Come in." His voice was exhausted.

The office door opened to a broad-shouldered man. The familiar, elder face of James Sylvia gazed intently at the younger man. The look the man received was none too pleasing. It held a look of worry and dread.

"Sir, I had just received word of your wife," the older man gasped.

The man's eyes widened immediately. He stood up and ran at the other man. He grabbed his shirt collar.

"What happened?" He saw the dreaded look. "Please don't tell me..."

"You need to go get your daughter and get home quick. I heard that the horde was last headed in that direction."The elderly man swallowed what little spit he had in his mouth. "I don't know how fast it's moving, but-"

He never finished what he was about to say as the father ran out of the office. He passed by many of his workers and several seated criminals. '_Oh, love, what had happened to have caused this? Why do they show up now after being in hiding for so long?'_ His thoughts were temporarily stopped as he got in the car and drove towards his daughter's school.

_Meanwhile_

Shawna sighed in discomfort. She had just dealt with a recent attempt of the students trying to cause her harm. Unfortunately for the boy responsible, she had managed to knock him off his feet. Unfortunately for her, a teacher was walking by at the wrong time. Had he been there a few seconds earlier, he would have seen the cause. Now, Shawna was sitting outside the Principal's Office. She rubbed her arm. The boy was able to make her fall and hit her arm against the side of one of the cafeteria tables, scraping her skin. She was actually getting ready to go to the Office to have her dad bring her home, but she was already called down. In other words, she was thankful that the fight had started. It gave the teachers a better reason to send her home.

"Miss Shawna."

Shawna turned in the direction of her name being called. It belonged to an elderly lady that served as the Office Secretary, Mrs. Sylvia. She was actually one of the few adults at the school who didn't treat her like trash. The old lady, Principal, and some of her teachers had warmly welcomed her into the school on the first day. They treated her like a human being.

"Yes, ma' am."

"You father is here to pick you up." Worry flashed across the woman's face.

"Okay. Thanks, ma' am."

"Hey, sweetheart," the urgent voice of Shawna's dad came up from the hallway door, followed by the bulking form of Principal Rogan. "Are you ready to go home?"

Shawna could clearly see the distressed look in her dad's eyes. The normally bright-brown eyes were currently darkened with concern and possibly fear.

"Yeah, daddy. I wanna go home." she looked at her lap. "Did something bad happen?"

"I'll explain everything once we get in the car." the man gently squeezed Shawna's shoulder in comfort. "Okay, Shawna?"

All Shawna could do at the moment was nod her head. She glanced at the Principal and Mrs. Sylvia and waved good-bye.

The car ride was silent and deadly. Shawna shifted uncomfortably in the front passenger's seat. She glanced over at her dad. He was clearly glancing at her almost every second. Something did happen, but what it was Shawna did not know. And it scared her.

"Dad?"

"...Shawna, remember how your mother is a monster hunter?" Her dad closed his eyes for a brief second, taking in a deep breath, not needing to see his daughter nod. "Well, she was called on duty this morning. That you already know, yes? Well..."

They had just pulled up to the driveway. The man put the car in park and sat there, thinking of how he was going to bring the news to his only child. He gazed down at her. There was no other way of saying the words without bringing sadness and possibly hatred into the girl's life.

"...Y-You mother...S-She never came back when she said she would."

"Does that mean that she'll be late? She usually is later for dinner when she has to go out-"

"No, Shawna. That's not what happening this time." The man couldn't stop the tears that were forming behind his eyelids. "Your mother, my wife, my love...she's never coming back. She died, Shawna. Y-You m-mother...is-is...she's dead, and she's never coming home ever again."

The man broke down, sobbing so hard that he was choking for air. Dead. That was what went through Shawna's ears. Dead and never coming home. A small tear fell from Shawna's eye and onto her lap.

"M-Mom," she whispered so softly that her father did not hear over his sobbing. "Why? Y-You said...th-that you'd never...d-die...by _their_...hands. Y-You lied."

Shawna's father turned and embraced her. Together, they cried and mourned for their loss. What were they going to do now? Would they have to leave Limbo City and find some place safe? Or would they have to run for the rest of their lives?

"You m-mother...loved you d-dearly. I-I...I know that she'll never...l-leave us per-permanently."

Unbeknownst to them, a small horde of oddly shaped shadows rose from the ground just yards from the property. Slowly and wickedly, the shadows formed into strange creatures. They were monsters that fed on the corpses of humans like animals. Their sharp claws and teeth glistened in the fading sunlight, and a cruel gleam burned in each of their black eyes as they watched the house with hunger. Not long afterward, the only thing that was heard were the screams and cries of agony. Neighbors overheard the commotion but did not know what it was. By the time the police finally arrived at the scene, the only things left was the masses of blood that pooled down the driveway.

"M-My God!" one of the officers gasped as he tried not to puke form the sight and smell. "What the hell happened here?"

"Someone go get the ambulance!"

Two bodies laid on the pavement, one embracing the other with a protective, fatherly compassion. His body was torn and shredded. One leg was missing and a part of his head was mauled past the bone. In his arms laid the small body of his daughter. She was barely breathing, but unlike the man, she was still alive. She was definitely shaken. The officers removed her from the man with little difficulty and proceeded to move her from the scene.

"D-D-Daddy!" Her voice hoarse from screaming. "Daddy...where a-are...you...?"


	3. Street Rats

**Okay, first things first. I do not own any characters from the Devil May Cry games, anime series, nor the manga. If I did, well...I really do not know. But anyways. Who I do have property rights over are Shawna and any OC characters that appear only in this story.**

**With that out of the way, I do hope you guys enjoy this story. XD**

* * *

><p>It was just the ending of Summer, the beginning of Fall. The usual, dry desert heat warmed the morning air as the sun began its accent into the purple-orange sky. Such a beautiful scene, as one would say. But that was nothing in comparison to the sunsets that took place by the end of the day. The golden rays of light touched the brown and white sands and reached onto the streets of a single small city that laid by the only river that gave life to the desert inhabitants. Any passer-by would think that one was crazy for living in the middle of no where. But some thought otherwise. Despite the intense heat, the town was quiet and relaxing...for the most part.<p>

"Come back, you thief!"

A single figure ran down the street, passed the market. Any person would see nothing but a black-and-gray blur as it ran passed them. Her slim body was adorned with worn clothes that were torn in a few places but they managed to cover her body. Her messy, black hair was quite long and framed her face, mostly hiding her brown eyes from sight. She didn't have much of a bust but she was not considered flat-chested. The person received many disapproving glares, but ignored them. She was more focused on the matter-at-hand: running like her life depended on it while keeping her grip on the bag of food. Behind her was a tall, elderly man with a crazed look on his face.

"Kiss my ass, old man!"

Laughter filled the streets. For some of the merchants on the street, this was the usual. Get out their goods, wait for any buyers to come, and watch the day roll on. However, the one thing that really got most of them up and about was what was currently happening. The young girl that was making the scene would come out of where ever she 'lived' and try to steal some goods. It was quite the scene. A lot of the merchants would stop what they were doing just to watch the action take place. Not many of the people in town knew what to do in situations such as this, but the ones who knew of the girl would look on with pity and amusement. Many applauded her for her bravery and, most of all, her ability to outwit pretty much every unfortunate person she steals from. Only a few times did she get caught by the nearby police, but she always found a way out.

"Don't just stand there, you imbeciles! Do something! Call the police," the elderly man was getting frustrated.

It was the fifth time in a week that the brat stole from him and got away. But he wasn't going to let it happen again. It wasn't her fault. The old man just failed to keep a closer eye on his things.

The girl took a detour to escape the crazy guy and added a few twists and turns before she finally came to a stop. '_Thank god the cops didn't come yet, or we'll be in deep shit_.' She glanced back down at the bag in her hands, and opened it up. Inside were several loafs of bread and quite a few fruits. It wasn't much but it should last her and the others for a bit while.

"Hey, Shawna," speaking of which, "Did you get the stuff? We're starving back there."

A young lad, no older than the petite woman herself, came up to her. He had been panting from running as well. Leon was his name, and it fit him well. Young, brash, yet extremely brave. The bravest of the gang they were in. Leon had long, blonde hair that was loosely tied in a strip of cloth, and a pair of eyes that could shine like the sun where ever he went: a deep golden-brown.

"Yeah, I've got it," Shawna laughed and showed Leon the bag. "It's not much but it should last us for a good while."

"Hm," Leon grimaced at the amount, but understood the circumstances. "They've been upping their guard lately, haven't they?"

"Sadly," Shawna slung the bag over her shoulder and started walking away, "But we're lucky we even got this."

Leon nodded in agreement and followed his friend. He and Shawna had been watching each other's backs since the beginning. He had come across Shawna when she lost her home and went into the orphanage. Neither liked it there, so they planned an escape along with several other kids. It had been over eight years since the attack on Limbo City. Ever since, everyone had to take precaution because of the new dangers that lurked in every shadow, particularly at night. Demons, as what the adults had called them. Monsters that fed on human flesh and had the appearance of grotesque monsters.

Shawna and Leon ventured out to the outskirts of Limbo, where just about everything was desolate. Limbo City had used to be a thriving metropolis but after the invasion, everything went downhill from there. Shawna glanced at a few of the crumbling buildings, thinking back. A large majority of the city had been destroyed in the span of two nights. The only buildings left intact were located near the center of the city. Shawna and the gang were among the few groups that dared, or were too poor, to live in the outskirts of town. They were the ones more at risk of being killed.

Nearing their 'home', Shawna and Leon could make out the small figure that was running up to them.

"H-Hey, you guys are back," the voice came from another survivor, Natalie. "Took you long enough."

Shawna chuckled in amusement as Natalie started arguing with Leon, who tried to keep his composer but was failing miserably. Natalie was a sweet and quiet girl, but she did have her moments. She had mid-back length, red hair and emerald eyes. Shawna continued on to the inside of the small warehouse the gang lived in. It had used to be a welding company that moved farther into the city, so there were still a few of the large barrels and pots left behind. Other than the little rats that pestered everyone at night, it was actually quite 'cozy'. Not. Most had to sleep on the ground while others slept on the broken-down benches lining the walls.

"Yo, Shawna. What do ya got there?"

"A few breads and fruits," she answered the lumbering giant who spoke to her, "And don't complain. It's all I got."

Shawna glared at the larger guy's grimace. He was quite tall for a seventeen-year-old and had a head of dirty-blonde hair. No one knew his name, so they decided that 'Big B' would do just nice. At the sound of Shawna's voice in the warehouse, more kids came out of hiding. Shawna split the food up among everyone. There was about ten of people here, so there wasn't much for each person. Mostly guys, Shawna and Natalie were the only females in the lot, but no one minded. Shawna made sure that the guys kept their distance, knowing that the guys would have hormone problems every so often.

"Thanks, Shawna. Finally, I don't have eat rats tonight."

"Stop your blabbering, fool. You better eat that before I do, myself."

"Would you boys stop arguing and eat," Shawna had to cut in to break up the fighting.

'_God, they're just dogs in a cage. This is ridiculous._'

"It's not my fault. The old man was crazy," Leon's voice cut in from outside. "Even Shawna had to run like a bat outta Hell, right Shawn?"

"Shut up, Leon! I am not a bat, but you and Natalie better get inside and eat before everyone else does!"

"Ah, crap," both had made a run for it, lunging at the last bits of food.

"Yeesh. Sometimes, I wonder if I'm the mother of this lot," Shawna rubbed her head in aggravation.

"Nif oof rent...yoof the bst."

"Stop talking with your mouth full, Leon," Shawna swallowed a piece of an apple, then glared. "And what did you say?"

"...I said 'No you aren't. You're the best.' Right? Right."

"...Thank you, Now, shut up and eat. _I am surrounded by idiots_," Shawna muttered the last bit to herself.

* * *

><p>Everyone had their fill and went back to where they were previously at, some keeping watch by the windows. Eventually, the day turned into dusk. Shawna watched from her perch as the sun began to disappear beyond the horizon. The glow from the city made the sky turn an eerie green-red. '<em>I can't believe how long it's been. Though not one for the past, I still believe all that has happened<em>.' Shawna closed her hazel eyes and inhaled deeply. The air still had a hazy scent to it, even though she was far from the city. She could faintly hear a few stray dogs bark off in the distance. Everything was so dreary.

Shawna had suddenly caught the sound of what appeared to be a faint siren. Thinking that it was nothing, she ignored. However, she noticed that the siren was getting louder, which meant that it was getting closer. Shawna snapped her eyes open and stared out in the direction she heard the siren. Sure enough, she was able to make out the red and blue flashes that signified trouble. '_Shit_.'

"Guys, get your lazy asses up and get moving," Shawna jumped down from the brick wall she was sitting on, and ran inside.

That got mostly everyone on their feet. Others just ignored her. Leon looked at Shawna. Even though it was getting dark, he could make out the alarmed look on his friend's face and the lights behind her.

"Shit," he cursed, getting up. "Move, you damned people! The cops are here!"

Thanks to Leon's announcement, everyone instantly got up. Through the profanities and mayhem, Shawna and Leon ran to one of the broken windows and looked out. Both cursed inwardly. A dozen or so cop cars were parking in front of the warehouse they were in.

"Leon," Shawna glanced at the boy, grabbing his attention, "Go get the others and head out through the back door. Once you're out, keep moving and don't look back."

Some of the Police were already entering the building, but the kids still had a chance to escape. Leon stared at Shawna in disbelief, his mouth wide open.

"And what about you? You're thinking of staying, are you," he hissed, but when he saw the look Shawna gave him, he instantly shut his mouth. "You...are. Are you?"

"Yes. Now, go," she pushed Leon away, towards the others. "I'll be right behind you guys. I'm just gonna distract them. If they get me, it only be me and not everyone else. Go!"

Leon shook his head, but obeyed. Silently praying that Shawna would not get caught, he gathered everyone and left the warehouse. Once she was sure that everyone was gone, Shawna turned to the policemen and started her plan. _'I hope this will work_.' She ran to the stairs and put her hands up to her mouth.

"Hey, you idiots! Over here," she had caught some of their attention, who in turn got the rest of the cops. "Yeah, you pansies! Kiss my ass!"

"There's one of them! Get her!"

Managing to get the cops' attention, Shawna took off in the other direction, away from her gang's route. She lept around the debris and benches, making her way to one of the open windows. Hearing the shouts behind her, kept Shawna going. '_Easy as a piece of pie_.' Shawna stopped at the window and looked down. The window was a good ten feet off the ground, but like that would stop her. Looking back at the oncoming officers, Shawna grinned.

"See if ya can catch me, fellas," she mock-saluted the men and jumped out of the window.

"Jesus, she just jumped!"

"Don't stop, you fools. Call for back-up!"

Shawna landed effortlessly on the ground below and took off once again. If she was to get out of here, she couldn't stop even for a moment. The sound of car sirens made her curse when the cars appeared around the corner.

"Dammit."

One of the police cars tried to cut her off, but Shawna had other plans. Literally jumping over the car, Shawna slid over the hood and ran like hell. She could see more cop cars coming at her. '_Dammit. There were more? Shit. I hope the others got the hell outta the area before these guys came_.' Dodging some more cars, Shawna saw an alley. Without thinking twice, she made a dash for the opening. Running for minutes would not exhaust her like this, but running from police cars that have an advantage over her was leaving Shawna nearly breathless. Having to stop in another alleyway to catch her breath, Shawna started coughing.

"Dammit (Pant) I (pant) hate these guys. At least (pant) they didn't bring in the choppers...yet."

Shawna straightened up and leaned against the cold cement building behind her. Sweat poured down her face, leaving her skin salty and sickly. She decided to glance to her right and was glad she did. She tried jumping out of the way as a bright light lit up for a second, followed by the hissing sound of a tazer. '_Dammit_.' She glared up at the man holding the taser. He was obviously a cop, but a good-looking one at that. He had shaggy, black hair and a pair of hazel-green eyes. '_Wow. He actually has a nice-looking body_,' Shawna couldn't help but stare at the guy's slim, toned arms and chest, even if they were covered in navy-blue fabric.

"Thought you could get away form us, did you girly," okay, that ruined the moment.

"Girly, huh? Well," Shawna snarled at the guy, sensing his young arrogance. "Then, let's have some _fun_."

The guy evidently got the wrong idea in his head, since he started blushing. Shawna took this as a sign and lifted her knee upwards at his groin. She received a grunt in return, and turned around to elbow the officer in the side. Another kick to his calf sent the guy plummeting to the ground in pain. Unfortunately, Shawna failed to see the other officer behind her until it was too late. Her body screamed in agony as the electrical charge shot down her spine and back up. The numb feeling of being shocked caused Shawna's body to spazz and fall into a pair of arms, gasping for air. Her visioned was fading in and out, but she could make the words "Got her" and "Get her in the car" as her hands were cuffed behind her back. As she was dragged to a nearby police car, Shawna glanced to the side and saw Leon's dark figure in an alley with Natalie. Clearly stepping forward to try and help her, Leon only stopped when Shawna shook her head and smirked.

"You better be alright, Shawna," she heard Leon's whisper just barely. "Just hang in there."

Shawna smirked even more, drawing the officers' attention to her. One took a baton and smacked her on the head, knocking her out. '_Don't you fucking dare come after me, Leon. Both you and Natalie, keep the others safe...for me_.'


	4. Jail Break

**Okay, first things first. I do not own any characters from the Devil May Cry games, anime series, nor the manga. If I did, well...I really do not know. But anyways. Who I do have property rights over are Shawna and any OC characters that appear only in this story.**

**With that out of the way, I do hope you guys enjoy this story. XD**

* * *

><p>The grogginess hit Shawna like a ton of bricks. Every muscle in her body screamed as they stretched. Once her eyes were opened, she immediate glanced around herself and found that she was inside a building. Trying to move her hands, she noticed that they were cuffed to a chair, the only chair in the entire room. Sighing irritatedly, she glanced around the room. A growling sigh escaped her lips in disgust at the condition of the place. '<em>Damn. Quite a place this is. Hell, even the warehouse was cleaner than this dump<em>.' The tiled walls were dirty and covered in grime in a few places. Even the floors weren't kept clean. It made her sick to her stomach.

"God, what a dump," her voice echoed off the walls.

She glanced around and noticed a rather large window to her left. The glass was dark and had a few smudges on it. While she couldn't see anybody through it, it did not mean that someone else couldn't see her. She sneezed, then jumped a bit at the sliding of a heavy door. Heavy footsteps closed in on her, drawing Shawna's attention to a pair of clean, black boots. '_Hm. How ironic in a place like this_.'

"I see that you're awake, child."

Shawna glanced up and was met with a large man. He was wearing glasses, so she couldn't see his eyes. Not that she really cared.

"You've been out for quite some time," he stopped in front of the window and leaned against it. "Sorry for the bruises, but you were resisting us. We had no choice."

Shawna didn't say anything. She just snorted and looked away.

"...Well, nothing to say? Hm," the man scratched his chin. "Then, at least tell me what you're name is. A pretty little thing like yourself ought to have a name or an alias."

"..."

"I won't bite, just here to get some answers. It's best if you do cooperate. It'll make it easier for the both of us."

"...Why the hell should I tell you people anything? My business is not yours."

"No, but you are here in the facility, so it would be smart to answer me. Now, I will ask you again. Who are you and where are the rest of the kids you were with?"

Shawna narrowed her eyes at the man. When the man didn't receive an answer, he pulled out a small device and pressed one button. That one button caused shocks of electricity to shoot through Shawna's body. She, refraining from screaming out in protest, bit her lip. The few seconds that passed felt more like minutes before the pain stopped. She could taste blood in her mouth.

"Now, why don't you start being smart and do as I say?" The man lifted the device so Shawna could see. "'Cause if you don't, I can send you through a world of Hell with just this single button."

"Bite me," Shawna groaned and spat at the man's feet. "I don't...give a shit."

The man shook his head, but not before pressing the button again. This time, Shawna couldn't help but yelp in pain.

"Think it over. The sooner you tell where the others are, the less pain you will feel...and I might let you go."

Shawna growled at the guy while his back was turned. '_No way in Hell, you bastard_.' The door slammed shut, leaving Shawna in the room. Her body still ached, some parts now starting to become numb. She stayed in the chair for several minutes and tried to gasp for air.

"This is such a pain." She licked her chapped lips. "I'm not selling the others out. No way in Hell."

She lowered her head and closed her eyes, thinking if there was any possible way out of the place. There was only one window, which was obviously too thick to break, and the single door was most likely made out of steel. Unless, there was a secret door somewhere, there was no luck.

"Damn this place. Damn these shackles," Shawna yanked at the shackles on her wrists and ankles. "I need to get out of here?"

Shawna continued sitting in the chair, facing the window. She could faintly distinguish the darkened outlines of people entering and leaving the room behind the window, so she was obviously being watched. It unnerved her.

* * *

><p>It had been quite some time since Shawna was brought in to the penitentiary. The officers had moved her to a different room down the hall from the original. If she had been complaining about the old place, she would definitely be cursing up a storm at the sight of her new 'dorm'. The walls were disgusting and mostly covered in mildew, and the floors were slimy, only a small pathway to the door was clean. The shackles were removed from her wrists and ankles, and replaced by cuffs connected to chains that hung from the ceiling. Shawna, herself, was in worse condition than her first visit, as well. Her skin were covered by the bruises of the torture, and her attire was torn slightly.<p>

Not sure how long exactly, she did know that it had been more than a week. The same man would come in every day to interrogate her, but she gave no response. Only a few insults here and some smart-ass remarks there. Thanks to the guy, her body had become so numb from the pain, that she could only twitch her finger tips, and open and close her eyes. It amazed the officers at the recovery Shawna would undergo after her treatments. Whenever her skin would crack open from the shocks, they would close back up over the span of a day or two. All that was left behind were bruises that remained visible.

Some of the prison doctors would be sent in to examine Shawna's injuries after the treatments to watch them 'heal'. It was a grotesque sight. One doctor in particular had gone too far, ignoring the warnings he was given, and got too close to Shawna. Taking this as an opportunity, she had managed to lift her legs up to wrap them around the guy's neck. One quick twist to the side had killed the doctor. No one had known about this until one of the officers came in to check on what was taking the doctor so long. Shawna had taken quite a beating after that.

The incident had happened the previous day, and Shawna's body still ached from it.

"Alright, kid," a voice broke the dead silence as the door finally opened for the first time that day. "I got you some food, so you'd better eat it before the others come back."

Shawna did not need to look up to recognize that voice. Still, it surprised her. '_Impossible. How did he_?' The guy had walked over to Shawna and brought what appeared to be a piece of jerky. She instantly grabbed the meat and swallowed it whole.

"Shit. Okay, you're obviously hungry. That I can understand," Leon chuckled.

"What the hell are you–How did you get inside?" Shawna managed to glance up at the guy's unmistakeable golden eyes.

Leon put a finger on Shawna's lips, silencing her. He shook his head. If anyone had known that the uniform he had on was stolen, then he would be arrested on-the-spot.

"Tune it down a bit, would you?" he whispered so only Shawna would hear. "I just managed to get in. The other's were getting anxious. You've been gone for weeks, Shawna. Weeks."

"But what about the others? Who's keeping an eye on them?"

"Don't worry," Leon took out a key that came with the uniform and unshackled one wrist. "I've got Natalie watching them. Aside from you and me, she's the only one to keep them from going crazy."

Shawna had to chuckle at that. '_That girl always had it in her_.' Leon managed to unlock both cuffs. But when he put another pair of cuffs on her, Shawna had to give her friend a look.

"It's for precaution," Leon shrugged. "Unlike you, I actually think things through before I decide to walk in."

"_Tsk_. Are you questioning my abilities?"

"No. I'm just saying that you tend to be really stupid." He gave her a deadpanned look. "Which, must I say, happens _a lot_. Oh, and by the way, you look like shit."

Shawna smacked him upside the head, growling as she was led out of the room. However, they were stopped by a few officers along the way.

"I was assigned to move the subject to a separate room for the time being. There happened to be a problem that needed to be fixed."

'_Remind me to kick his ass for calling me that_,' Shawna growled. '_A subject and getting fixed? That just sounds wrong_.' Amazingly, it worked, and the police left. Leon leaned down to Shawna's ear.

"Okay, we're almost to the exit. There's security but I've got this."

"Oh, you got this? Do not forget that you're dead when this is all over."

"Just...work with me here. Okay? You should be thankful that I came to save your ass."

"_Tsk_. In case you've forgotten, I deliberately told you _not_ to come after me. But still, I'm grateful. Did anyone else step up to the plate?"

Receiving a shake, she knew her answer. Sighing, she looked up only to see some guy strutting down one hall in nothing but his boxers. That caused Leon to curse, and a quirked eyebrow from Shawna.

"There he is! He's the one that attacked me!"

"Dammit. I thought I knocked him out," Leon grabbed Shawna and made a brake for the exit.

"Seriously? Wow. I would've never expected _you_ of all people to hit anyone," Shawna had to laugh. "If I remember correctly, you were always the one to refrain from violence."

"Shut up and move it!"

"Okay, okay. God, why don't you shove a stick up your ass while you're at it?"

Leon ignored the girl beside him. Thanks to Shawna and her remarks, it was going to get her killed one of these days-he knew it.

They barely made it out of the prison when Shawna saw just how many officers were on to them. '_Tsk_.' Unfortunately, the barbed-wire fence was locked, leaving the kids stranded in police territory. Shawna looked back and saw the masses of policemen closing in on them.

"Leon, I hope you have another idea because we're about to get screwed over to the police."

"Shut up. I'm working on it."

Shawna glanced over and saw that there was an officer that had snuck up behind Leon. Cursing, she leapt at the guy.

"Don't even _think_ about it, you asshole."

Shawna aimed a punch at the officer, sending him backwards at least a good three meters away and crushing his ribs. The action caught Leon's attention from the gate to Shawna to the guy laying motionless on the pavement 15 feet away. He stared in disbelief at Shawna, who remained fine.

"H-How did you? No one can punch that far?"

"Shut up, you idiot. We've got bigger matters at hand."

She grabbed Leon and ran for a small ledge that overlooked the city. It was the only area not blocked off by fencing. Only problem was that there was a fifty-foot drop to the ground below.

"Shawna, we're not going to-"

Shawna cut him off. Instead, she grabbed his collar and jumped over the ledge, causing Leon to scream at the top of his lungs. Thinking that they were either going to get crippled, if not killed, Leon was surprised when he landed on Shawna's back as she hit the ground. He stared at his friend, disbelieved at the fact that she was unharmed from the jump. She had landed gracefully. Not a single bone was popped or snapped out of place.

"...H-How?"

"Run now, talk later," Shawna motioned at the helicopters hovering above their heads. "Move it!"

The two of them ran down the alleys for minutes, only having to stop for Leon to catch his breath. Eventually making it to a run-down train station, Shawna and Leon managed to lose their pursuers. Shawna sat down on a bench, while Leon didn't care about getting dirty as he just fell to the ground. It was several minutes before Leon finally spoke up.

"H-How is it that you were able to do that? No human alive can do the things that you just did," Leon gasped.

"...It's a long story. I don't want to talk about it," Shawna looked away.

"Don't try that with me," Leon glared up at her. "I know you're keeping secrets. You've never told me why you would run. You're always trying to do things on your own, never asking for help. And whenever I do come to help you, you'd always run away. _That's_ not normal! Start spilling!"

Shawna sighed before glaring at the boy.

"You really don't know how to keep your nose out of other people's business. Those cops back there were more than enough. I do not need you demanding answers that I won't give you."

"We been together for eight years, Shawna! Eight fricking years! I've told you everything about me, but you've never done the same! How do you think that makes me feel? How am I supposed to trust you when you don't tell me a thing?"

"I've told you before not to trust anyone," Shawna stood up and grabbed Leon. "Aim to keep yourself alive. Keep other humans alive. I am not one of you, so don't treat me like I'm human!"

Shawna realized her mistake and widened her eyes. '_Dammit_.' She let go of Leon and walked a few feet away, cursing at herself stupidity. Leon remained in his half-standing, half-kneeling position. Shaking his head, he gazed at the shaking female.

"...Y-You're...not human? What-What the hell are you talking about?"

"It's nothing," Shawna growled at him, without turning to face him. "That's not the point. I'm dangerous. Everyone around me dies, so just get over it."

She inhaled sharply, hearing Leon stand up.

"... And what about your parents? Did they die because of you, too?"

"_You keep my parents out of this_. They're dead. I don't need to hear this shit about all of this being on their heads."

Leon continued to stare at Shawna. It unnerved Shawna, so she turned away. She was afraid that he'd hate her. '_What will the others think? Will they treat me like dirt, just like back then_?' Thinking the answer to her question was evident, she started walking away only to be stopped by a hand on her shoulder.

"Where do you think you're going? Are you just going to leave all of us...just like that?"

"...What else can I do? You heard me. I have no place in the gang. The Government has my picture. They know what I look like.."

That remark earned Shawna a punch to the jaw. She stumbled backwards and glanced up in surprise at Leon, his fist still in position from hitting her. The look on his face seemed like as if he, himself, couldn't believe what he had just done. Leon slowly lowered his arm and glanced down at his hand, shaking.

"Heh. I guess I deserved it, eh." Shawna swatted the feeling off and stood up.

Leon glanced at Shawna. The disbelief still in his eyes. He managed to regain his composer and relaxed.

"Look, Shawna," he shook his head. "We still need you."

Shawna, focusing her attention on the midday sun, glanced away.

"You shouldn't leave. The others still need your guidance-"

"_Tsk_. Guidance?"

"I hate it when you do that," Leon smacked Shawna upside the head.

"H-Hey! Do what?"

"Interrupt me. You're lucky I'm a kind guy." he received a glare. "Don't give me that look. You still have a heart, Shawna. But if it suits you better, at least stay 'til some one else steps up to take your place."

Shawna sighed and scratched her head. '_Just like that, Leon? Just like that?_' She shook her head.

"Okay, okay...I'll stay a bit longer." She was instantly squeezed in a bone-crushing hug. "Only a bit, but right now... _Let. Me. Go_."

"Okay," Leon instantly let go, smiling all the while. "What do you say we pretend that none of this happened? To be honest, what happened back there still gives me the creeps."

"Good. Cause if the others hear about this, you're the one I'm coming after first."

* * *

><p><strong>Wow. Chapter 2 already? Damn. Hope you like it. Thanks to Spazzums for being a great Beta. You rock, girl! XD<strong>


	5. Could It Get Any Worse

**Okay, first things first. I do not own any characters from the Devil May Cry games, anime series, nor the manga. If I did, well...I really do not know. But anyways. Who I do have property rights over are Shawna and any OC characters that appear only in this story.**

**With that out of the way, I do hope you guys enjoy this story. XD**

* * *

><p>"Okay. So...how do we tell Natalie?"<p>

"...Dumbass. I thought we said that we're not telling anyone else about what happened." Shawna gave Leon a 'what, are you stupid?' look. "We just say that I got caught, you busted me outta there, and we came back happily. No strings attached."

"Yeah, but," Leon sighed. "...Natalie is one of our closest friends. Shouldn't it only be right if she at least knew what really happened?"

Shawna looked down in thought. It was true. Minus Leon, Natalie had been with her since the beginning. With the two of them being the only girls in the gang, it was hard keeping secrets between the two. '_But I've been keeping everything a secret from everyone. I can't even tell Leon who I really am_.'

"Fine. We'll tell her, but not the whole truth. Only bits that have been twisted. I don't want her going crazy and start acting like a crazed older sibling."

Leon nodded and walked alongside Shawna the rest of the way to what was to be their new hideout. The moment they were within sight of the building, Shawna widened her eyes and scoffed.

"The hell is this? Some run-down, half-intact storage condo?"

"Hey, it was the best place for everyone. I was going to insist that we stay in that one shack, but everyone started complaining," Leon whined. "Come one, man. Have a heart. It was all of them against one of me. The odds were against me, dammit!"

"Oh, stop your blabbering!" Shawna sighed in aggravation. "At least, they left you alive if they hated that shack so much."

Leon couldn't help but grimace at the thought. He looked forward and saw the gang's watchers seated on some nearby walls and debris. They nodded in greeting at the sight of the two.

"And look on the bright side," he leaned down to whisper. "At least, they aren't questioning why you look like you just came out of an asylum."

"...Idiot. I look like this because I _did_ come out of an asylum. What the hell did you think that place was? Just a normal prison? They didn't even have anyone with the _courage_ to clean all that crap off of the walls!"

"Who wouldn't clean what off the walls?"

Shawna and Leon turned to the voice. It was Damien. The boy was well in his twenties. His pale skin complimented well with his dark-blue hair, making him look ghostly. Not many of the guys liked him since he had the tendency of picking fights with the other gangs and his own comrades as well. Shawna scoffed and turned away, not wanting to say anything to the _pest_. Leon cleared his throat, drawing Damien's unwanted attention to himself.

"How should I say this? Shawna here had a rough encounter with the prison guards, so to speak." he received a jab in the side by Shawna. "Ow. Knock it off."

"It's none of your business, Damien," she couldn't help but sneer. "So, back off. What is my business, is mine alone."

"Oh? Then, how come Leon happens to know what happened?"

"That's would be none of your business."

Shawna and Damien had a stare-down, the latter smirking the whole time. Leon decided to break it up before another fight took place.

"On the next subject. I has come to my attention that there has been some sort of trouble coming from inside the city," Damien folded his arms behind his back.

"_Tsk_. The hell with it," Shawna walked away, refusing to listen in on the brat's statement.

Damien inwardly smirked and turned to Leon.

"Anyways, I heard that there has been a demon sighting that took place just a little over a day ago. From the rumors that I heard around town was that someone is coming by, on behalf of the Government, to dispose of the beast."

"And how would you know about this," Leon glanced warily at the bluenette. "...Unless, you have a part in it."

"Now, why would you suspect me of having anything to do with those monsters?" Damien gasped. "Honestly, do you? But that's besides the point."

Damien walked up to Leon and put an arm around his shoulders. Leon couldn't help but feel a cold chill run down his spine. Something didn't seem right with this guy.

"...And if I were you," Damien whispered so only Leon would hear, whilst glancing in Shawna's direction. "I'd be careful around _her_. She keeps secrets. That's no doubt. For all we know...she could be _it_."

Leon just stood there, unmoving as Damien said 'Good-bye' and walked away. '_What does he know. He knows nothing about Shawna_,' Leon shook his head. '_Yeah, she keeps secrets, but doesn't everyone_?' Nonetheless, he couldn't help but feel that Damien indeed knew something about Shawna. Something that he, Leon, didn't even know.

"Who am I fooling? For all I know, he's just bluffing."

What neither of the boys knew was that Shawna never really left. She had stayed and hid behind a broken-down pillar. She would be crazy if she actually left Leon alone with that Damien-creep. '_So Damien suspects me. Typical, even though he's annoying as Hell, he does have a brain._' She turned around once she knew that Damien was gone and that Leon left for the hideout. '_Nonetheless, I'll have to be careful_.'

…

_Meanwhile_

A lone motorcycle was headed towards the city center. Seated on it was a man in a red coat. A large guitar case was strapped to his back. He stopped at one street corner and glanced at his surroundings. '_It's been forever since I've been here. The place where it all started, and it hasn't changed one bit._' It was clear to him that city has been the victim of multiple demon attacks since he left. The only thing that really got him was that the city was in worse shape than before he moved to Capulet. He shifted gears and continued his way towards the place his was to meet with his client.

"Man," he laughed at his 'destination'. "And here I was expecting more than this dump."

"Can I help you?" the woman at the front desk spoke up.

"You bet, babe." The man smirked. "I hope you don't mind, but I have a meeting with your boss."

The woman, a simple red-head in an secretary suit, thought for a moment before looking through the files on her computer screen. Her eyes brightened as she glanced back up at the older man, noticing his unusual hair.

"Aw. You must Mr. Redgrave," she smiled sweetly. "Let me send in a message to let Mr. Timburough that you're here."

"Thanks, babe. Maybe after this I can treat you to something to eat...?"

"No, thank you. I'm afraid I'm busy all day."

Redgrave groaned in disappointment, ' _Damn. And she was nice looking, with a nice rack as well_.' His red coat fluttered behind him as he followed the lady to the back of the office where he could see an elderly man looking through a few files.

"Sir, you have a guest."

"Hm..." the man, putting down the files, glanced at Redgrave. "Oh! Forgive me. I didn't think you'd make it till tomorrow afternoon."

"See ya, babe!" Redgrave winked at the leaving woman and received a giggle. "Yes, you could say that my alarm clock went off a day too early."

"I see." Mr. Timburough didn't quite like the remark. "On to the subject as to why you are here, I have received reports that my men have discovered something quite extraordinary... or I should say someone."

Redgrave cocked an eyebrow. He glanced down at the files on Timburough's desk. He managed to catch a glance at one of the pictures before the Officer moved them out of sight. It was a grotesque image of someone in a rather unpleasant condition.

"Forgive me. Here is a picture of the subject."

Mr. Timburough handed Redgrave a different picture. This one consisted of the mugshot of a young girl. The kid had unkept hair and torn clothing. Redgrave noticed that her strickened face was slightly bruised and she appeared to be giving the photo the middle finger. Redgrave chuckled a bit at the sight, but glanced at his client in confusion.

"This is the...demon you are sending me after? Looks no more than some deranged teenager."

"Looks can be deceiving, Mr. Redgrave, Trust me on this. I know what I'm doing." Mr. Timburough motioned at the picture. "This picture was taken upon the girl's entrance into the penitentiary. I would show you more pictures, but they are strictly Government property. This girl you see here, is rather strange. During a few of her exams—"

Redgrave couldn't help but flinch inwardly at what he meant by 'exams'. Knowing how some officers were, because of their cocky attitude, the treatment of a woman was not pleasant in any way.

"—Our doctors had discovered that the injuries on her body were fresh, and her body appeared to be undergoing some drastic changes over the course of a month. In other words, her injuries were healing at a rate that was very unusual for a human being. One of her doctors had retrieved a sample of her blood and looked for any answers to her symptoms. What we had found was not pleasant."

Mr. Timburough waited for any response from the man seated before him. When he received nothing, he continued on.

"After comparison with several other blood samples, we had come to conclusion that this girl's blood had perfectly matched that of the monsters that have been terrorizing this city for years."

"...Let me guess. Demons." Redgrave leaned forward in slight interest.

"Indeed. She even managed to escape our prison. Not only did she actually kill one of our best doctors, but she also knocked out one of our guards, who still in the hospital as we speak. What we fear the worst...is that I believe that she may be involved in one of the city gangs. Knowing how demons work, I'm certain that she may be using them for her own expense."

"Heh. Well, what do you know about that. A demon taking on the form of a damsel and making the humans do her dirty work. Do you have any clue on where this she-devil is?"

"Sadly, no." Timburough shook his head. "My men have searched the compound where we had first come across the gang this devil is affiliated with but found no trace of life. I currently have my men searching for any sign of that monster and the gang. Seeing to that, there is no doubt that they may have moved to a different location somewhere near the city. As you saw on your way here, our city is surrounded by ruins and abandoned buildings. They could be hiding in any of those buildings."

"No need for that. I'm sure that I can find this she-devil with no problem at all."

"With you expertise, I'm sure you can, but it won't be easy. During the girl's escape, we had caught sight of what could have been one of her underlings, so she could still be with them. With the way the two of them spoke, they appeared to be...close, so to speak."

Redgrave did not like the tone Mr. Timburough had used in reference to the kids. '_This could be more difficult than back in Capulet._' Redgrave thanked Timburough and left the building. '_If what he said is true, then those gang members must be pretty loyal to that demon. Getting through them won't be a walk in the park._' The man in red got on his motorcycle and started the engine. _'This is going to be like finding a needle in a haystack. Heh. Well, let's see what I can do about this devil first_.'

…

Several blurry trails flew through the alleyways, towards the market square. One figure suddenly stopped on a wall, calling out for the others to stop as well. Shawna closed her eyes, focusing on her hearing more. The others who were out with her that day waited for the signal. They had ran out of food, again.

"_Shawna_," one voice whimpered, earning a light smack.

"Idiot, she's listening for someone."

Leon, the only guy who always stuck by Shawna's side in all of the raids, came up next to his younger friend. Kneeling down, he glanced at her from the corner of his eye.

"...Shawna?"

"...Hm?" Shawna opened her eyes in surprise. "Oh. No. It's alright. Thought I heard something."

She shook her head and jumped down from her perch. Motioning for the others that everything was alright, Shawna turned back to Leon.

"I'm okay, really. I just thought I heard someone trailing us," she couldn't help but glance up at the rooftops.

Leon noticed this and looked up as well. For a brief second, he thought he saw a flash of red, but it was already gone. He glanced over at Shawna and saw that she had tensed slightly. '_She must have saw it too_.'

"Come on. I don't want to keep the others waiting. Knowing the twins, they'd most likely be harassing some old lady in a wheelchair." She shook her head. "Let's get this over with."

Leon nodded and took off after the boys. Shawna took one last glance at the roof-line before following the blonde. '_Something doesn't feel right today. What is it_?' He and Shawna came up to their usual starting point. The twins were waiting for them and playing a game of Kick-The-Can.

Having lost their parents, too, in the demon invasion, the twins were inseparable. Their appearances were exactly the same: shoulder-length auburn hair, tan skin, and green eyes. Only differences between them were the style clothing they chose and the way they parted their hair. Together, they acted the same, but when separated their personalities contrasted from the other. Toni, the older of the two by three minutes, was loud, obnoxious, and short-tempered, while Nickolai was quiet, reserved, and more of a gentleman.

"Okay, boys." Shawna had everyone stop at a corner of the market. "Here's what we do. Nickolai, I want you and Toni to do what you guys always do."

"Got it." The two red-heads, twins Nickolai and Toni, nodded and took off.

"Kyle, you're gonna be in charge of watch." Shawna saw the smirk on his face. "Today's your big day, so do try not to mess up. Leon..."

"Yeah," said brunette came up behind Shawna.

"You and I are gonna tag together and get as much food as we can, alright?"

"_Tsk_. Do I need to be told twice?" He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "We've been doing this tag-team for how long?"

"Hehehe. Just making sure you're on the same page as me, bro. Now, wait for the signal."

It took several minutes for Nickolai and Toni to give the signal: a simple flicker from an empty lighter. The moment Shawna and Leon saw it, they put their plan into action.

"What the!...Hey, what do you kids think you're doing?"

A younger man, not the one they were after, had caught the kids trying to commit a theft. '_Dammit_.' They were right behind the food stand when the guy, apparently not from in-town, decided to put everyone into panic mode.

"I got some stuff," Toni had been the lucky one, managing to grab some bags laying on the ground. "Shawna, we need to go!"

"I hear ya! Dammit, this wasn't supposed to happen!"

For some reason, Shawna's head told her to look to her right. Through the shifting people and the yelling, she had noticed someone familiar slinking off to one of the side alleys, being followed by another person. '_The hell_?'

"Hey, Leon! I'll be right with you and the others! I need to check something!"

"Oh, hell no," Leon grabbed Shawna's arm. "You're not going anywhere without me this time. Remember last time this happened?"

Having no time to argue, Shawna just scoffed and allowed him to follow her. Leon turned around briefly to tell the twins to try and make it back to the hideout.

"Shawna? Shawna, what's wrong?"

Shawna ignored the whispering behind her and crept into an alley connecting to the one she saw the two people walking into. Nearing a corner, she put a hand over Leon's mouth to silence him.

"_Shut up_. Listen."

"...So, did it work?"

"It should. I made sure that he was in the area to see the commotion, but I'm worried if she got away too fast."

Leon and Shawna heard a hiss and an abrupt 'thud'. Glancing at each other, they peeked around the edge. What they saw both surprised and angered them.

"Even if _she_ got out already," Damien sneered. "The Hunter would already be on her trail, thanks to one of the others calling out her name. The faster we get rid of that demon, the faster we can get our cash and split from the gang."

'_What the hell is he talking about?_' Both thoughts ran through Leon and Shawna's heads.

"...True, but the Government is still after us." The unknown man turned out to be the one that exposed Shawna and her friends. "We could still—"

"Silence! I've already had an agreement made with the Chief. He's allowing us off the hook as long as the bitch is disposed of. Dead or alive."

Leon pulled Shawna back before she could pounce on Damien and his accomplice. Shawna could clearly see the look of confusion and spite in his brown eyes.

"_What the hell is going on_," he had to whisper so that no one can hear. "_Don't tell me that Damien's trying to kill you? Shawna, what's going on—_"

"_How the hell would I know what's happening? I'm just as surprised as you are_," Shawna hissed in anger. "_If I had known that Damien's been planning this from the beginning, I would've kicked his sorry ass outta town by now_."

"...I knew he was bad news." Leon glanced back at the alley that Damien was in. "I knew it from the very beginning... Why didn't I do anything?"

"Stop your moping!" Shawna went to creep back, away from the scene. "Right now, we have to get out of here."

They waited till Damien and the other guy left the alley before walking out of hiding. Leon was about to talk when something clicked behind him and Shawna. It did not sound welcoming. Both teens tensed as a cold chill ran down their spines. Shawna cursed and twisted her body around to face the perpetrator. A tall man stood behind them. Looking to be well into his forties, the older man was wearing a red trench-coat in black undergarments. Leon's eyes widened in fear at the sight of the two barrels poised at them. Twin handguns: one black and one silver. Leon could literally hear Shawna shake from two feet away.

"Leon," the girl didn't care if the guy heard her or not. "Get as far away form here as possible. This guy—"

"Are you crazy? He could kill us! He could kill you!"

"I don't care," Shawna swallowed. "You're obviously not the one this guy's after. I don't want you to get yourself killed, Leon. Get outta here and fast!"

Shawna heard the click of the second gun. Fearing the worst, she grabbed Leon and threw him out of the way of the incoming bullet. The pieces of metal skimmed her shoulder. Once Leon hit the ground and saw Shawna falling to the ground, he got pissed and went to lunge at the armed guy and drew his attention. Taking this as an advantage, she twisted her body for a kick at the guy's shin. The man managed to dodge the attack and jumped back.

"Leon, you idiot, get out of here! Get out of here, now!" Shawna hissed in pain. "Get somewhere safe!"

Leon glanced between Shawna and the man in red. He didn't know what to do. If he ran away, Shawna would get killed. But if he stayed, there was a strong possibility that both he and Shawna would die. Hearing Shawna scream at him again, threatening his own existence, Leon had no choice but to run.

"I'll come back with help! Just hang in there!"

"Don't hold your breath, Leon. Just make sure you're out of this place!" Shawna pulled herself up and faced the man who shot her. "Look, man...I don't..._care_ who you think you are. But...don't you fucking _dare_ go after him. You want me, right? Then, come and get me!"

Using what strength she had, Shawna lunged away from the man and ran in the opposite direction of both her friend and her attacker. Multiple gun shots resounded throughout the alleys. '_Dammit. I don't wanna die, but I can't let him anywhere the hideout nor the others._' She ran up to a wall and pulled herself over the top. '_Damn that Damien! Damn that bastard!_'

The sound of boots hitting the ground behind her and the gunshots that whizzed past her ears and body kept Shawna from stopping. She glanced down at her shoulder and grabbed it at the sight of blood. As she ran, more and more blood bled through the wound. Her hand was already covered in red liquid as soon as it touched the injury. When she looked back up, she cursed and had to jump out the way of something silver. The crash of metal hitting ground brought Shawna out of her daze when she hit a nearby wall.

"Dammit!" the pain increased.

She heard a metal object scrape at the ground, and she looked up. The man in red had somehow managed to run ahead of her and drew a rather large sword. Curious as to where it came from, Shawna noticed an empty guitar case laying on the ground not far from where the man stood.

"Thought you could get away that easily," the man had actually spoke up. "Didn't you, you demon?"

"What?" Shawna's eyes widened. "Wh-What are you talking about?"

"Taking in the appearance of a young babe working with a gang? Heh. I thought demons like you would be smarter than that."

"W-What the hell are you talking about? I'm not a demon!"

Shawna instantly backed up when the guy pointed the sword at her. For once, the first time in years, she actually felt terrified. She knew that she was going to die some day...but this? This was not what she had in mind. She was still too young, not even having reached adulthood. Her shoulder pulsed in agony, and Shawna put more pressure on it. Her vision was getting blurry.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about!" She shook her head. "I'm not a demon."

"Heh. Don't try that with me," the man chuckled. "As cute as you look, babe, I'm afraid that I have a mission to carry out—"

"But I'm not a fucking demon! How can I convince you that I'm not one of those monsters?"

"...You can't. Sorry, sweetheart, but time's up."

Shawna shook her head. Anger suddenly filled her mind, and she lunged at the guy. '_I don't care anymore! I don't care!_' The sound of flesh ripping and blood splattering the ground filled Shawna's ears. In the midst of the bloodshed, she had began to cry.

"How can you compare me to those monsters? How? The very same bastards that took everything away from me!" Shawna reached out at the man, her memories going back to when she was almost ten. "They killed my own family! My own mom and dad! The only people who loved me! And you are calling me a murderer? How could you?"

Everything just happened so fast. A red haze of pain clouded her vision and made it nearly impossible to see. Instinct was all she could rely on.

"Come on, babe. Is that the best you can do?" the man was taunting her. "I've fought stronger demons than you who put up a bigger fight."

"Would you just fucking leave me alone? I've done nothing to you to deserve this!"

The man went to stab the young woman but was surprised when she managed to stop the blade. Ignoring the pain pulsing in her hand, Shawna gripped the blade and sneered at her attacker. '_I am not going to let this bastard kill me. I still have a life to live._' She lifted her leg and kicked the man's side, causing him to let go of the sword and slam into the wall.

"_I'm not through with you yet_," Shawna caught the fallen sword and threw it back at its owner.

The Hunter gasped in shock as the blade pierced his chest, pinning him to the wall. Shawna watched as his body went limp before collapsing herself.

"Dammit."

Shawna coughed up more blood and gazed back at the man. After much effort, she managed to pull herself back up and started limping away from the scene.

"Heh. Nice shot, babe," a raspy voice stopped Shawna from leaving the alley.

Shawna tensed up immediately. '_Impossible. But I..._' She gazed back at the man in red and watched as he pushed himself off the wall. She suddenly felt sick at the sight of the sword sticking through his chest.

"...H-How?"

"You...and I...are the same...kid," the man pulled the sword out of his chest and smirked at Shawna. "Although, I do congratulate you for putting up that much of a fight."

Shawna stared at the man standing before her. Shaking her head, she sent a weak glare at him.

"What...the Hell do you want with me?"

"That would be business, babe," the man placed his sword back in its case, heaving the strap over his shoulder. "I'm here on a mission. Hunting demons as you can see."

Shawna swallowed the blood-mixed saliva in her mouth. She stepped away from the man when he went to take a step towards her. Seeing the unease in the girl's face, the man stopped.

"I'm not going to kill-"

"Why the Hell should I believe you," Shawna grabbed her shoulder as the pain shot up again. "You were doing that just seconds ago."

"Hm. I was just simply testing you," he put his hands in his pants pockets. "The Head Chief told me that you were dangerous, so I decided to check you out. To be honest, you're not that strong, so why bother killing you."

"Bastard," Shawna growled.

"Consider yourself lucky, babe," the Hunter turned his back to Shawna, but didn't move any farther. "Now, get out of here. I'm sure that your lackies are waiting for you."

"They're not my _lackies_. They're my friends. Have been for years."

"Heh. Then, I'll see you around, babe."

'_Hn. In your head_.' Shawna turned around and walked away. The man, Redgrave, watched the petite woman, completely ignoring her blood-stained clothes, leave the alley. He shook his head and frowned slightly.

"Such a young girl," he said to no one. "Too bad she grew up in this dump."

…

It took a while for Shawna's head to clear up. The pain in her body still pulsed, but the wounds were slowly starting to close up. The itching during the process still angered her.

"Dammit," She barely refrained from scratching her shoulder. "I hate this."

She gazed out at the outskirts of the city and spotted the old sign that hung above the entrance to the gang's new hideout. She couldn't help but feel uneasy about the situation, '_Weird. Usually Natalie, Leon or one of the other boys would have come out and greeted me by now._' The closer Shawna got to the building, the more nervous she got. A sudden whiff of decaying carcases caused her to cover her nose.

"Oh, _god_. What the hell is that?"

The moment she turned the corner, she had to turn around to vomit. '_This can't be real. It can't._' Tears stung her eyes. She glanced back and saw that she wasn't imagining things.

"...No."

All over the ground in front and inside of the hideout was the mass of bodies that belonged to her friends. Shawna pulled herself up and limped over to some of the bodies. She wanted to look away, but couldn't. The bodies were looked as if they were mauled by a pack of animals. A groan mixed in with a cry brought her eyes to the hideout. '_Someone's still alive. Maybe they can tell me what happened._' She followed the whimpering to a mound of debris blocking a small outcrop.

"_Hush. Do you want them to hear us?_"

"...I'm sorry, brother..."

There was no mistaking that voice.

"Toni, Nickolai? Is that you?" Shawna moved some of the rocks out of her way.

"Shawna?"

Shawna managed to make a hole and peeked through. Sure enough, the twins were trapped behind the debris. Their green eyes, widened in surprise and relief, glowed in the dim light.

"Are you guys alright? What the hell happened?"

"We don't know," Toni whispered. "It happened so fast. Those things that come out at night. They just attacked us...in broad daylight."

"Demons." Shawna blinked back her tears, surprised as well at what happened. "Is...Is there anyone else still alive?"

The twins looked at each other, then back at Shawna, nodding.

"Who? Where are they?"

"I...think I saw Natalie and Leon run off in that direction," the older twin pointed to his right, Shawna's left. "I think I heard Leon calling someone a traitor or something like that. Natalie ran after him, saying something else about it being too dangerous."

Nickolai whimpered again, as if in pain. Shawna glanced down and noticed that his left pant leg was bloodied. The scent nearly made her gag. Shawna narrowed her eyes in anger but softened them as she looked back at the boys.

"I'm going to get you guys out of here, but I need to find Leon and Natalie. I promise that I'll come back. Try to remain quiet, in case more of those things are still around. Okay?"

Toni nodded as he held his brother. It hurt seeing the twins like this. They, along with Natalie and Leon, were the only ones she enjoyed hanging out with. '_Try not to die on me, boys._' She got up and ran off in the direction Leon had headed. More blood filled her nose as she got closer to a dead end. A single person, his back to Shawna, stood at the entrance.

"The two of you really are pathetic. Telling me to go to Hell and that you _friend_ will come back and save your sorry asses." The person laughed. "She's dead_. _Dead!"

Glancing past the person, Shawna was able to make out the kneeling figures of Leon and Natalie. One of them was holding onto the bloodied body of the other, and it pissed her off when she saw who was injured. '_Son of a bitch._' she glared back at the standing figure who was making his way to the couple.

"How about I let you join her in the Demon World?" The figure reached out for Leon and Natalie.

"You son of a bitch! Stay the hell away from them!"

The figure turned around and widened his eyes in terror. Shawna snarled before lunging at Damien and tackling him to the ground. She delivered one punch to his jaw and heard the cracking of the boy's jawbone.

"You _bastard!_" Shawna grabbed Damien's shirt and threw him away from her friends.

A sickening thud of the boy's body came as he hit a pole. Ignoring the pain in her shoulder from the action, Shawna ran over to Leon and Natalie's body.

"You're alive!" It was evident that the blonde was crying.

Shawna glanced at him and back at Natalie's face. She was so calm, it looked as though she was dead. Only the flicker of her eyelids said that she was barely alive. Shawna choked back a sob.

"Shawna..."

"How bad is it?" Shawna moved a lock of bloodied hair away from Natalie's eyes.

"...She...She'll be alright," it sounded as if Leon was trying to reassure himself that Natalie would live. "She'll be alright. She only hit her head."

There was a small gash on the side of Natalie's head. Though, despite its small size, it was near her temple and was bleeding profusely. Shawna shuddered. She reached down to tear off some of her shirt and press the fabric against the wound. She heard Leon inhale sharply, possibly from the sight of her stomach and the cuts that laced it.

"Here." Shawna took Leon's hand and had him press on the cloth. "Put pressure on it. It should stop the bleeding till we get some help."

"...I fear help won't do you any good."

Both teens tensed up and widened their eyes. '_Impossible. How could he?_' Shawna looked over her shoulder and saw the beat-up body of Damien limping towards them. The hole in his chest, from where the pole penetrated, was empty and gushing out blood with each step.

"You...may have survived that Hunter." Damien started cracking up like an insane mad-man. "But that...doesn't mean that I'll let you live. I'll kill you with my own hands if I have to!"

Damien, stretching his hands out in front of him, lunged at the kids. It looked as if something, or someone, was controlling Damien's body. Shawna instantly stood up to stop the blow, only to have one of Damien's hands run through her stomach.

"Shawna!"

She coughed out blood while the traitor started laughing again. Since she was now closer, she noticed that the boy's eyes were glowing red. She widened her eyes, '_Those eyes. They are just like..._'

"What's the matter, Shawna? Cat got your tongue?" Damien's mouth curled into a creepy grin. "Because if it doesn't, then I'll take the pleasure of ripping it out myself."

Damien removed his hand and grabbed Shawna by her throat. He ignored the crying of Leon and the scratching Shawna was giving him. All Shawna could hear was the boy's laughter as she gasped for a breath. With her body already weakened from her fight with the man in the red jacket and the new injury on her stomach, she could barely kick her legs out. The sound of a metal object scraping the pavement, followed by a loud crack, suddenly allowed Shawna's throat to open up again.

"You bastard!"

'_Leon?_' She could hear what sounded like a metal pole slamming down onto Damien's head.

"You've killed everyone and nearly killed Natalie! I'm not letting you take Shawna's life either!"

"You fool!" Damien suddenly grabbed the pole in Leon's hands and yanked it away. "Trying to play hero will only result in someone losing their life. And that life is not going to be mine."

Guessing where Damien was standing, Shawna made a blind leap at the mound of flesh. Happy in seeing that she guessed right, Shawna's lips curled back into a smirk. The boy's eyes suddenly widened in fear as he watched Shawna curl her fist up into an uppercut. His head, instantly breaking from the force of the blow, snapped back, but Shawna wasn't done yet. Grabbing the boy's limp head, she punched it again and again into the pavement. Each blow caused a growing crater under both bodies. Once Shawna was done, all that was left of Damien's head was a bloody mass. She swallowed back the vomit threatening to release. She glanced back at Leon, her body visibly shaking.

"Sh-Shawna, y-you..."

"I'm sorry...Leon," Shawna glanced down at her bloodied hand. "I...I just couldn't hold back anymore. I-I'm so sorry."

Leon limped over to Shawn and held her splintered hand. They both watched as the small fragments of bone snapped back into place, and the skin stretching over the wounds. Leon looked back up at Shawna in shock. She averted her eyes from her friend, ashamed of what became of her.

"...Shawna, what are you?"

Shawna closed her eyes and inhaled sharply. She looked back at her friend.

"I...I don't know," Shawna looked away at the old buildings around them. "I don't know anymore."

Leon was about open his mouth to reply but was stopped at a sound behind him. Shawna and Leon saw Natalie starting to wake up. Leon let go of Shawna and ran over to the younger woman and held her in his arms.

"It's okay," Leon hushed the girl. "It's okay...It's all over, now."

Seeing that it was best that she not stay, Shawna turned and walked back to the hideout. Finding the twins position, she began to dig them out.

"Hey, Shawna. You alright?" Toni noticed several stray tears on Shawna's face.

"Y-Yeah...I'm fine." She and Toni gently dragged Nickolai out into the open. "How bad is he?"

Shawna tore Nickolai's jeans and exposed the gash. It wasn't as bad as she thought. The wound was just bloody. She tore off the rest of the pant leg and tied it around Nickolai's thigh. The three of them heard footsteps coming in their direction. Shawna glanced up but immediately looked away. Leon and Natalie were limping towards the trio, with Leon holding the girl bridal-style. _'She's probably still out of it_.' Shawna did not need to see the strange look Leon had given her to know how he felt about the whole situation. '_I don't blame you, Leon. I'd hate myself too._'

"We can't stay here." Shawna stood up, despite the sharp pain that shot up her arm. "If we stay, we'll be sitting ducks for any nearby demons."

"That and the fact that we have to get to a hospital," Toni agreed as he pulled Nickolai onto his back. "It's best we leave."

Shawna nodded and glanced back at Leon. He immediately looked away and shifted Natalie into his arms. Shawna watched as the others started walking away, unsure if she should follow.

"Come on, Shawna," Leon called out, surprising her. "Are you going to come or we leaving you behind?"

"Yeah. I'm coming."

* * *

><p><strong>Hiya, peoples. There's Chapter 3 finished. XD Please let me know what ya'll think. Thanks *bows*<strong>


	6. Think We Can Start Over

**Okay, first things first. I do not own any characters from the Devil May Cry games, anime series, nor the manga. If I did, well...I really do not know. But anyways. Who I do have property rights over are Shawna and any OC characters that appear only in this story.**

**With that out of the way, I do hope you guys enjoy this story. XD**

* * *

><p>"So, what are we going to do now?"<p>

Toni, Nickolai, Leon, and Natalie walked out of the hospital. Nickolai's thigh was bandaged, so he had to use crutches. Natalie, who had received the most injuries, mostly to her head, had several bandages and a cast on her arm.

"Stop complaining, Toni." Leon wanted to smack the younger boy, but couldn't with his shoulder injury. "We're leaving, that's what."

"But...what about the others?"

Leon glanced down at the girl next to him. It hurt him seeing Natalie like this. '_Is this her fault? Should she be the one to take the blame?'_ Leon shook his head.

"They're all dead. We're the only ones still alive."

"...What about Shawna? I know I heard her voice," Natalie looked around, hoping that Shawna would show up out of nowhere like she always did.

"She's alive." Leon glanced off in the distance, thinking. "But I don't know if she'll want to join us."

"Then, why don't we ask her?" Nickolai waved one crutch in Leon's face, which annoyed the teen. "I mean...she did save our asses the other day; she'd want to make sure we don't get ourselves killed."

"It's not that simple."

"But-"

Toni put a hand on his brother's shoulder, quieting him. Nickolai looked down, saddened at the fact that they would be leaving Shawna behind. Leon glanced at the twins and closed his eyes. '_Why didn't she just tell us the truth? I know what she really is. No...who she really is._'

"We should still ask her." Natalie walked forward, away from the boys. "She has done so much for us. So what Nickolai said is true. Shouldn't it be right that we still forgive her? I mean..."

"Okay, okay," Leon sighed. "We'll ask her, but don't expect her to be too happy. She's...not who she used to be."

"I don't care. She's still our friend. Shawna helped us when we needed her. Now, she needs us. It's up to us to help her."

Nickolai and Toni nodded in agreement. As much as he was angry at Shawna, Leon couldn't help but see the truth in Natalie's words. '_She really did help us. And seeing the look on her face when Damien was about to kill us...she's still human._'

"Then, let's go. We can't ask her if we stay here and mope."

"Yes!"

…

It was still early in the morning. The sun, casting the earth in its warmth and light, was just beginning to rise above the horizon. The hideout was in shambles. Ever since the demon attack the other day, the place was still a wreck. Shawna leaned against what used to be the doorway, now nothing but a large hole, and gazed at the orange ball of fire in the sky. She sighed in relief. It had been a long night. She had taken the responsibility of giving the bodies of her friends a proper burial by burning their corpses and leaving markers in their memory. Unfortunately, it was rougher than she had in mind. A few of the demons, the same ones that attacked the gang, were hiding in the building next to the hideout. Shawna managed to dispose of the monsters before they were able to devour all of the bodies, though some were still dragged away.

"Why does everything get all messed up for me?" She glanced at the markers. "Why does everyone near me die? Why?"

Shawna got up and walked over to one particular marker. Among the dead was the youngest of the gang, and he was no older than fourteen. The thought deeply saddened Shawna. The kid was like a younger brother to her.

"I'm sorry, buddy. I should've gotten here sooner..." She touched the poorly-crafted stone marker. "You still had your whole life ahead of you. I'm sorry."

Shawna sighed and looked around once more. '_I can't stay here. It's obvious I'm no longer welcome here. Might as well save the others the pain of seeing me._' Turning around, she started heading towards the western part of Limbo City. There were only two methods of transportation in the city. If you didn't have your own vehicle, then there was the train that went out to other cities. Faint voices caught Shawna's attention, causing her to turn in the direction. She could barely make out the vague outlines of the bodies running towards the site of the attack. '_Leon..Natalie...Nickolai and Toni._'

"Shawna? Shawn, where are you?"

The young woman turned away, blinking back the tears forming under her eye lids. Just as she began to walk away, she felt something yank back on her shoulder. She snapped around and aimed her fist out of reaction. However, the sight of Toni holding her shoulder made Shawna stop.

"What-"

"You were just going to leave us?"

Shawna blinked and glanced behind Toni, seeing the other three making their way towards them.

"Shawna," Natalie gazed at Shawna in disbelief. "Why would you leave us?"

Shawna couldn't say anything. She glanced at Toni, then at Nickolai, and then finally at Natalie and Leon. She shook her head and looked away.

"Hey, Shawna," Leon walked up to her and Nickolai, and he grabbed her shoulder. "Why the hell would you leave us without saying 'good-bye'?"

Shawna glanced up at Leon from under her bangs. The look he gave her sent chills down her spine. She inhaled deeply and sighed.

"I figured that you guys didn't need me. After...After what had happened...I-I thought it would be best if you just forgot about me. Save yourselves the pain of looking at my face."

The next thing Shawna knew was the sudden contact of flesh and a burning sensation on her left cheek. The action surprised her into falling to the ground. She snapped her attention towards Natalie, who had somehow managed to get right between her and Leon. Shawna noticed the shocked looks on the boys' faces and the fact that Natalie's fist was half-suspended in the air. '_She...actually hit me,_' Shawna placed her hand on her cheek. '_That girl actually had the nerve to hit me._'

"Stop acting like a smart ass, Shawna. Why on Earth would we not want you the stay with us? And don't you dare say that what happened a few days ago was your fault! All of us were taken by surprise. Damien went psycho and had those things kill us off. If there was anyone to blame it was Damien, not you! You're our friend, Shawna. Now stop sulking and start acting like the woman we all know!"

"...You know," Toni was the first to snap out of his stupor. "I'd listen to her. On our way here, Natalie was cursing like there was no tomorrow when Leon told her the details of what happened after she woke up."

Shawna glanced down at the ground. '_How can they be so welcoming? Shouldn't they hate me?_' Looking back up at the looks she was receiving from not only Natalie, but the blonde next to her, Shawna sighed and stood up. The pain in her cheek was starting to go away, but it still stung.

"Come on, Shawna. We're gonna leave Limbo City and find someplace else to live. So, why don't you make Natalie happy and come with us?" Leon received a glare from Natalie but ignored it.

The sides of Shawna's lips twitched before a small smile formed. Shaking her head, she couldn't help but chuckle.

"You guys can be a real pain, you know that?" She cocked her head to the side. "Okay, okay. I'll come, but I just want you guys to know that things aren't gonna be as safe as they used to be."

"_Pft._ Since when have things ever been safe?" Toni earned a smack from his brother. "Ow. That hurt."

"Hehehe. So, do you guys have any idea where we are going to go?"

Seeing that looks everyone gave each other, Shawna frowned.

"Why don't we just take the bus and wait until we come to a place that looks nice?"

"You know, Nick," Leon turned to the younger twin. "...Wait a minute. There are no buses here. There's only cars and trains-"

"Then, we'll take the train." Nickolai glanced at Shawna and Natalie for support.

"Then, take the train we shall." Natalie smiled. "Why are you giving me that look, Shawna?"

"...From the way you said that, it sounded almost like as if we're going to rob the people on board." Shawna gave her friend a blank look.

"I-I...I...T-That's not what I meant to say!"

"So, since we're going to be taking the train, how are we going to get tickets? We have no money whatsoever," Leon glanced at the twins, ignoring the small dispute between the girls.

"Simple," both twins said at the same time.

"We have our ways." Nickolai gave Leon a creepy smile.

"Just give us some time." Toni smirked.

Natalie and Shawna, uncertain of what their plan was, stopped what they were talking about and gazed at the twins.

"You know...I have bad idea of what you devils have going on inside those heads of yours." Natalie visibly shuddered.

"No worries," they said simultaneously. "We'll have enough money for the tickets by the next hour or two. Give or take."

"I think it's best that we leave them be." Shawna shook her head. "They could easily force us to take part in any kind of plan they come up with."

"But I think it's best that Shawna comes with us," Toni wrapped his arm around said girl's shoulder.

"Yeah, she could help us out a lot," Nickolai smirked.

"See what I mean?" Shawna glanced at Natalie, then at the twins. "Sorry to disappoint you boys, but I'm gonna have to pass on that one."

"Awww!" The twins' shoulders slumped. "Why not?"

"...Personal reasons. Maybe next time."

"Sounds good enough." Both twins immediately hugged the shaking girl. "We'll hold you to that promise."

"N-No w-worries. Now, let go of me and get going."

"Okay."

"See ya later."

"Don't miss us too much!" the twins 'limped off' away from everyone else.

Shawna sighed. Once the faint redness on her cheeks disappeared, she glanced back at Natalie and Leon. She blinked at the 'knowing' looks they were giving her.

"What?"

"Nothing!" Natalie glanced away, the smirk still showing. "Nothing at all."

Shawna's eye twitched. She glanced at Leon, narrowing her eyes at his facial expression.

"Don't. Say. A word."

…

"I still can't believe you guys actually did it. Of all the things you could've done, you pulled off some gay festival to get money!"

Shawna and Natalie watched from their seats as Leon started bickering with the twins. Natalie glanced at Shawna.

"Do you know what Leon's going on about, Shawna?"

"...You probably would not wanna know." Shawna glanced at her friend. "Toni and Nickolai decided to pull off some stunt to get some money for the train tickets. All I can say is that it involves some taboo for 'sibling love'. Or something like that."

"Sibling love? Oh."

"Yeah. Forget I even mentioned it."

After about a hour of listening to the boys argue amongst each other, Natalie fell asleep next to Leon. Shawna smiled at the sight. '_Those two care for each other. When will they admit their feelings, though?_' She sighed and glanced at the twins, who were also resting in the seats across from her. Looking at the rest of the train cart to find nothing else to ponder over, the young woman shifted her attention to the landscape outside. '_Where will we go, now? Hopefully, where ever we go next will make things at least a bit easier._'

A faint noise from the back of the train caught Shawna's attention. Glancing at the rest of her friends to ask if they heard it too, she saw that they were still asleep. Deciding to check out the noise, Shawna got up and walked off towards the sound. Reaching the back, nothing seemed out of place.

"Hm. Maybe it," Shawna was cut off short at the dull thud above her head. "...was nothing. Great."

The black-haired girl opened the back door and looked for a ladder or something to climb up on. Smiling at the sight of a small ladder to her right, Shawna climbed up and peeked over the side. Her vision was suddenly blurred by a dark object lunging at her face. The next thing she knew, Shawna was being hurled into the air.

"_Shit!_" Shawna gasped in pain as her body hit the metal roofing.

She glanced up and rolled to the side of the train. The metal, where she was at just a second ago, was bashed in. Metal plating screeched as a clawed hand clenched the roof. The reptilian demon hissed in anger. Shawna sneered in disgust at the eight eyes on its face and the muddy-brown scales covering its slim body. '_Shit. And here I thought spiders were freaky._'

"Crap. I thought your kind was gonna give me a break!" Her throat vibrated from the growl. "Can't you guys just leave us the Hell alone!"

Her words fell on deaf ears as the train sounded its horn. As if on cue, the demon let out a battle roar and lunged at Shawna. Barely dodging the swipe, Shawna found herself on the edge of the railing. '_Dammit_.' The wind pressure nearly pulled her off the train and into the chasm that the train was rolling over. It would be instant death if she fell.

"Shit. How the Hell do I fight this guy if there's nothing I can use?"

What sounded like laughter emanated from the demon's throat. It lunged again and managed to nick Shawna's side, making her lose her balance. '_Dammit._' She didn't need to glance over her shoulder to know that she was about to fall over the edge. Closing her eyes, she tried not to think of death... only to hear several gunshots and something grabbing her hand.

"Heh. And here I thought you were gonna put up a better fight than this, babe!" an all-too-familiar voice echoed through Shawna's ears.

Shawna opened her eyes and gasped. '_It's...It's him. What the Hell is he doing here?_'

"It's best not to dwell on this, babe." the man in red smirked. "I believe we have a bigger issue to take care of."

A large claw appeared behind the man's back. Shawna was about to warn him when the Devil Hunter reached over his shoulder and shot the hand. The demon cry made Shawna want to cover her ears, but she couldn't with only one hand. With the demon being distracted, the man pulled Shawna up and put his hand on her shoulder to keep her from falling over.

"Let me do the fighting, kid." the man stood up, drawing another gun. "I've tracked this demon for some time now."

'_What? But I thought he said he was after me..._' Shawna shook her head in confusion. '_What the Hell is going on? I'm so damn confused._'

"I'll explain later, babe. Just sit back and watch how a pro takes down a demon."

If the man was facing her, Shawna would have seen the crazed smirk on his face. She decided it was smart to stay put, and she only moved when the demon came at her. Shawna couldn't help but watch in awe as the older guy shot at the monster and dodged the side swipes. It was like watching a dance take place in front of her eyes. '_If he hadn't tried to kill me at first, I wouldn't mind learning a thing or two from him._'

After watching the demon get weakened enough to lose its balance and fall to its death, the man motioned for Shawna to follow him. Once inside, she felt much safer.

"Thank God," Shawna sighed in relief as she plopped down on an empty bench. "I seriously thought I was gonna die up there."

"Heh, I don't blame you. Wouldn't be too pleasant turning into a pancake falling from that height."

Shawna glanced up at the man as he sat down next to her. Several thoughts went through her mind. As if sensing the turmoil going on inside her head, the Hunter opened a lazy eye and glanced at the girl next to him.

"...Damn. Since you're not trying to kill me at the moment," Shawna chuckled. "Did I ever mention that you have some of the most gorgeous eyes I've seen?"

The comment earned Shawna a laugh from the guy. Taking it as an insult, she sat up and scowled at him. The Hunter, still chuckling, held his hands up in front of him.

"Relax, babe. No harm done." He grinned at Shawna. "I get that a lot. People always comment how good-looking I am."

"...Wow." Shawna gave him a blank look. "If I had known that you were full of yourself, I would've just walked away the moment I saw you. Speaking of which, aren't you still after me?"

"Nah. I was really after a different demon. I only came across your profile when I went into that Police Station. Couldn't help but check out if you were as cute as the picture." The man leaned in too close for comfort.

Shawna growled and slapped the man before he got too close.

"That's good to know. But don't ever get that close again." Shawna's eye started twitching. "Do you hear me?"

"Hehehe. Nice slap, even though I thought you would've hit me-"

"Would you like me to punch you, instead? Or better yet, kick you where the sun don't shine?"

"As tempting as that sounds, I afraid I'll have to pass on that one, babe." the man rubbed his chest, as if reminiscing. "But I am pissed that you stabbed me."

"Hey! That was an act of self-defense!" Shawna pointed a slender finger at the man. "I was only trying to keep you from trying to fricking kill me! That I'm pissed at you about!"

"Which I'm impressed considering how much of a runt you are."

Shawna blinked and glanced at her body. The years of poor nutrition had left her, and the others, very slim and 'weak looking' in comparison to other teenagers who had actual homes.

"Yeah. You can blame that on the damned attack years ago. If those bastard demons hadn't attacked Limbo City, I'd be eating actual food."

"Heh. With a much sexier body, too."

That earned the Hunter a well-aimed punch, sending his body crashing onto the floor. Shawna breathed heavily as the man started laughing again.

"Shut the Hell up, old man!"

"It's true. Now, if you were older, I'd probably even ask you out on a date," he rubbed his bruising cheek.

"Like Hell I'd go out with a perverted old man like you," Shawna crossed her arms and looked away. "And you're not even my type."

"Mind telling me what that _type_ is? I'm sure we can compromise-"

"In your head," Shawna glared at the Hunter, then went blank. "What is your name, by the way?"

"Isn't it rude to demand someone's name without telling yours? Heh. The name's Dante," Dante jabbed his thumb at his chest.

"...Not a bad name. My name's Shawna. Can't remember what my last name is, though." Shawna's shoulders sagged at the thought.

"Hm. Nice." Dante sat down, stretching his legs out. "So, where are you going?"

"I don't really know," Shawna glanced over her shoulder in the direction of where her friends were. "Me and the others don't care as long as we leave Limbo City. That place has been nothing but Hell for us. They deserve better than that."

Dante, catching Shawna's gaze, shifted in the bench and leaned forward. His eyes held confusion but softened at the look on the girl's face.

"You care for those kids, don't you?"

"Yeah." Shawna nodded. "They're practically family to me. Ever since my mom and dad died, I've been on my own. At least, until I met Leon and Natalie. After that, I met the rest of the gang."

Dante didn't miss the brief look of hurt and betrayal in Shawna's eyes. He sighed and placed his hand on her thin shoulder, which caused Shawna to tense slightly.

"Sorry to hear that. I lost my parents to demons, too. At least, you had people to live with. I had no one."

Shawna glanced up at the Devil Hunter and watched him think of his past. '_I guess...he's not all that __bad. Just strange._' Shawna gave the man a small smile. Dante smirked at the kid and chuckled. He got up and started walking to the front of the train.

"I'd get back to the others if I was you. Wouldn't want your friends to miss you."

"Yeah, you're right." Shawna got up and followed Dante. "Oh, and Dante?"

"Hm?"

"Where are you heading to?"

Dante stopped and turned to face the young woman.

"Capulet City, babe." He smiled.

"Mind if we join you?"

"Heh. Not at all."


	7. A New Beginning

**Hi. I am so sorry for the really late update. You can put all of the blame on work and college. I haven't really been having as much spare time as I used to.**

**But anyways, you all know the drill: I do not own any of the characters developed by CAPCOM...but I do own Shawna and her friends. :)**

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><p>Shawna had to resist rolling her eyes. She took a quick glance in Natalie's and the twins' direction. The look Natalie gave her told her that she was on her own with this one.<p>

"Are you even listening to me?"

Shawna closed her eyes and groaned in annoyance. She turned to Leon, giving him an irritated glare.

"Are you out of your fricking mind? This is the same, exact guy that tried to kill you back in Limbo City."

'_Boy, exaggerate much._' Shawna leaned to the side and caught sight of Dante leaning against a wall. He was definitely enjoying the scene, showed by his failed attempts at not laughing.

"Leon-"

"He's gonna try and kill you in your sleep!"

"...Leon-"

"Oh, god. He's gonna kill all of us! We're gonna die!"

"Leon, shut the Hell up! It was only a big misunderstanding!"

"...," Leon threw his arms into the air. "We all dead. And this is all your fault!"

"Leon, I think you'd better stop rambling before Shawna decided to strangle you," Natalie put a hand on Leon's arm. "If the two of them came up with a reasoning for all of this, then let the guy help us."

"Yeah," the twins walked up behind Shawna, throwing their arms around her shoulder.

"Unless you wanna walk around this place like a bumbling idiot," Nickolai laughed.

"Then, be our guest," Toni smirked at the blonde. "We'd rather have a roof over our heads before we can get our own place."

"But we call dibs on sharing with Shawna!"

"Let go, you idiots," Shawna twitched. "I'm not sharing with anyone but Natalie. And if she wants her own room, then I'm on my own."

A deep chuckle came up behind Leon, causing the teen to tense up. Dante's form towered over the boy's, looking down with a smirk.

"The ladies need a place, kid. I've a nice place to share with them."

Seeing the hidden reason in his answer, Shawna slipped passed her friends and socked the Devil Hunter in the ribs.

"_Dumbass_! If that's the way you're going to be, then we are gonna get someplace else to stay!"

"Um. Shawna, what did he mean exactly," Natalie whispered.  
>"You don't wanna know, Nat. Trust me. You don't."<p>

"Oh, my god! Not only did he try to kill Shawna, but he's a perverted old man as well!"

"Hey, watch your mouth, kid," Dante glared at Leon. "Now that I think about it, you kids need a shower. _Phew_. When was the last time you guys bathed?"

"Don't ask. It's not our fault that Limbo has terrible care for its citizens," Shawna gave Dante a blank, yet irritated stare.

'_This is madness. It was bad enough with Leon freaking out, but now I have to worry about him not leaving Nat's side what so ever._' She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. A loud car horn beeped behind them, causing everyone – namely the twins and Leon – to tense up and get into a battle pose. Dante burst out laughing at the sight, remarking that they should do that more often for entertainment. In turn, Natalie started scowling at the Hunter for insulting Leon. It was madness once again. Shawna watched as an elderly man got out of a red car and walked towards the group. The graying mustache on his lips twitched as he sneezed.

"Dante, there you are," a deep voice called out. "And who are these kids? They yours?"

Shawna burst out laughing at the look on Dante's face. '_He looks like he just got shot._' Even the boys started freaking out...again.

"What? Heck no! These kids followed me-"

"Correction, you're letting us stay at your place for a bit," Shawna pointed a finger at the man, still chuckling.

"My apology, sweet heart. The little ladies here need a place to stay, so I'm bringing them home," Dante jabbed a thumb at the panicking boys. "These kids, however, won't let the girls out of their sights, so they're coming too."

"Shawna," Natalie tugged on Shawna's arm sleeve. "Who is this man?"

"You got me. Probably a buddy of Dante's."

"Dante? That pervert has a name," Leon grabbed Shawna and started shaking her back and forth.

"Leon-"

"_Leon_," Shawna glared at the blonde, making him stop. "Stop. Yes, he has a name. I was trying to tell you that but you were carrying on like a cry baby. Also, unless you want to draw more attention and possibly the Police in this city, then I suggest you quiet down...A lot!"

"Okay, okay," Leon stepped away form the fuming female. "I'll calm down. I just can't believe this is happening so fast..."

"Cheer up, man. Shawna knows what she's doing," the twins hugged Leon, causing the teen to shake in either embarrassment or anger. "The women know what's best, so let her pick."

"Let go, your devils."

Shawna smirked. A hand rested on her shoulder, drawing her attention to the white mop of hair above her. Dante's smirked, shaking his head.

"They always like this, babe?"

"Pretty much. Takes some getting used to, but they'll calm down in a bit. I hope."

"Hehehe. Well, come on. Morrison's got the car ready," Dante patted her shoulder and walked away. "There's not much room, but I'm sure you can manage."

The car was classy looking with a red body, but it had little room. After some arguing, Leon offered Natalie to sit on his lap. Shawna was uncertain, as the twins wanted to share their seat and Dante said she could sit in his lap instead.

"Come on, babe. My lap's big enough for you-"

"_Tsk._ In your head, old man," Shawna climbed in the back. "I'd rather not risk feeling _something_ poking my ass, so thank you but no thank you."

Tired for some reason, Shawna moved around and layed down on the twins' laps, not seeing the boys' blushing. All she could hear was Leon's panicking voice, saying something about women not having to lay on a man's lap, and Morrison starting the car engine.

"This is ridiculous, Dante," Morrison's voice disrupted the chaos in the back. "Do you understand the image you're giving the people of this city?"

"Hey, what do you expect me to do," Dante tiled his seat back, barely missing Shawna's knees. "I couldn't just leave them on the streets."

"Don't they have family to stay with?"

"...Their families are dead, Morrison. They were literally living in broken down buildings and feeding off of scraps when I found them."

There was silence. '_Found? If that is your way of covering up for that mishap, then good thinking_.' Leon went to open his mouth, but was stopped when Natalie rested her head on his shoulder.

"...Oh. I see," Morrison glanced in the mirror at the kids. "How are you going to compensate for the room at the shop, then?"

"I'll figure something out," Dante closed his eyes. "Just give me some time."

Morrison nodded, not taking his eyes off the road. It was a quiet trip. Dante glanced over his shoulder and saw that the teens were fast asleep. He smirked at the sight. The blonde, Leon, and the girl in his lap, Natalie, were sleeping in each other's arms as if they were a couple. The twins seated behind him were leaning against each other's shoulders with their mouths open. The last of the kids, whom introduced herself as Shawna, was resting in the twins' laps. The peaceful expression on her face made the Hunter smile softly. '_Just a bunch of kids._'

…

"Hey, Shawna. Come on. Wake up, girl."

Shawna groaned and flicked her wrist up. Whomever she hit jerked back in surprise and yelped in pain.

"Ah! Dammit. Why is it I'm always the one to get hit?"

"Maybe you shouldn't have your face so close, Lee," twin voices laughed.

A single, brown eye lazily fluttered open. Still seeing that she was in the red car, Shawna yawned and stretched her arms out above her head, earning another painful yelp. Blinking in confusion, she tilted her head back and noticed Leon laying on the ground.

"What the..."

"Hey. Would you look at that," a deep voice chuckled. "Have a nice nap, sleeping beauty?"

A mop of white hair filled Shawna's line of vision. Glancing up slightly, she was met with the blue eyes of Dante.

"Oh. Well, hello," Shawna sat up, popping her back in the process. "I guess you say it was nice."

She glanced down at the pavement, still seeing Leon groaning in pain. She raised an eyebrow at the fact that he was holding the fork of his legs. A large hand ruffled her hair.

"Nice job at docking the kid."

"What?"

"Leon was trying to wake you up, Shawna," Natalie helped her friend out of the car.

"Y-Yeah. You sh-should've...seen his face...when you smacked him," the twins held their stomachs in laughter.

"But the look...hehehe...on his face when you got him," Toni had to lean on Nickolai to keep himself from falling over.

"Hahaha! It was priceless!"

"Um...Okay," Shawna looked down at Leon, who was now leering at her. "Sorry. I guess?"

"...N-No," Leon managed to pull himself off the ground. "It...It was...n-nothing."

Shawna followed Dante and Morrison into the large building in front of them. She couldn't help but notice the pale sign above the entrance.

"Devil May Cry? Hm," she whispered the name.

"Welcome," Dante stopped in front of the group and bowed, much to the dismay of Morrison. "To my wonderful adobe."

The doors flew open, and the teens were greeted by an interesting sight. Despite the size, the floors were littered with empty beer cans and pizza boxes. '_Is that left over pizza in one of those boxes?_' Against the back wall was a single desk with a rather comfy-looking, leather chair. To the groups left was a set of stairs that led to what was possibly the guest rooms upstairs.

"This place looks almost like a freak show," Toni pointed at the wall behind the desk.

Sure enough, there were some 'interesting' wall pieces that ranged from weapons to guitars to...'_Does he seriously hang up the heads of the demons he hunts? Thank god, I'm not among them._'

"What," Dante placed his guitar case beside a nearby jukebox and looked at where Toni was pointing. "Oh, those babies? I got them from some friends."

"Yeah," Shawna gave the Hunter an unimpressed stare. "_Friends_. I'm sure they were more than willing to _help_ you out."

"Thanks, babe-"

"It wasn't supposed to be a comment. But seriously, this place looks like a dump. There's fucking-"

"Hey, watch your mouth. You live here, you go by my rules."

"..._Freaking_, excuse me, freaking trash all over the place. How do you even manage to live here?"

While Dante and Shawna were having a stare-down, the rest of the teens walked around the place. It wouldn't be too bad of a place if it was cleaned up a bit.

"I suppose we could stay here for a bit," Leon yawned, scratching his head. "I mean. We have no where else to go. But we're only staying till we can find some jobs, and then we're leaving this dump."

"Hey, now," Dante finally broke the glare. "Don't you go dishing my place, kid."

"Then, I suppose it wouldn't mind having a nice clean-up every once in a while," Nickolai went to touch one of the wall clingings, a rather large sword, only to be scolded by the older man.

Shawna sighed and rubbed her temple. '_Oh, god. This is gonna be Hell. I don't know what will worse: living in Limbo or staying here.'_ She watched on as Dante, still sitting in his chair, yelling at the boys whenever they went near his 'prized' possessions. He actually stood up when Leon got a bit too close to one particular sword. The sword was pretty cool-looking. It was about as large as the Devil Hunter himself and had a dark blade with several jewel-like objects implanted in the blade itself.

"But I guess this'll be interesting, though."

"Hm? You say something, Shawna," Natalie's green eyes glanced at the older woman.

"Huh? Oh, sorry," Shawna smiled, shaking her head. "Nah. I was talking nonsense."

"Yep," Toni and Nickolai appeared out of no where, throwing their arms around Shawna's shoulders. "Just like you always do."

"_Grr_. Stay outta this! I wasn't even talking to you boys!"

Dante glanced over at the bickering girl and the twins next to her. He couldn't help but chuckle at the scene. _'Hehehe. Kids.'_ He glanced over at his father's beloved sword. As much as he hated the man, he was still his father.

"Oh, yeah," a thought hit Dante. "I nearly forgot to tell you kids. There are some rooms upstairs. So if you want some place to sleep in, then I suggest you get going. But don't go in the first room. That's off limits."

"Even if it's your room or not, I don't think any of us would care," Shawna followed the others upstairs, grabbing the twins when they reached out for the 'forbidden doorknob'. "Get going, you boys. You heard the man."

"Oh, man," Nickolai's shoulders slumped in disappointment.

"And here, we were hoping," Toni wiped away a fake tear.

"To check out any cool stuff in there."

Shawna, Natalie, and Leon sighed at the twins. _'How ever they do that, I don't know.'_ The same thought went through their minds, _'I hate it when they do that.'_ Luckily for them, there were some rooms left over at the back of the building. One for the twins. One for the girls. And Leon thought it would be wise to take the room across from the girls, while keeping the twins' room in sight.

"I've gotta make sure those devils don't decide to sneak in."

"_Pft._ Yeah, right," Shawna scoffed, knowing who the real perverts of the group was.

* * *

><p><strong>I hope you enjoyed this chapter, even if it was a bit slow. Please, please leave reviews. Tell me what you think<strong>. **Take care and have a nice weekend.**


	8. Incoming Game Freaks

**Hi, everyone. I am so, so sorry for not updating in so long. I swear the blames on work and college. I'm innocent! T_T Anyways, I want to thank those of you who have reviewed my story so far. Your reviews mean a lot in helping to continue on with this story. I still have a lot of great ideas. They just need to get written/typed down. That and given enough inspiration. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Sorry if it's on the short side, but it's still something to fill your wonderful heads. Grazie! XD**

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><p>It must have been several weeks after Shawna and her friends made themselves accustomed to living at Devil May Cry. Things were interesting, so to speak. Every day, Dante would wake and go downstairs to lounge in his chair. Most of the time, the teenagers would find the Devil Hunter having slept in his chair the entire night.<p>

"Dante?"

No response from the shirtless man.

"Dante."

Leon's eyebrow twitched slightly. He glanced over at the sofa on the other side of the room. A small form laid there, completely oblivious to the world around her. He sighed and turned back to the white-haired man.

"Hey! Come on, man, wake the Hell up!"

Dante grunted but did not open his eyes. It was about 12 in the afternoon and neither the Devil Hunter nor Shawna would wake up. Not even when the phone rang for several minutes. '_Jesus, how do these two sleep like this?_' Leon gave up on Dante and walked over to his friend.

"And here I thought Shawna was bad enough in the morning," Leon grumbled.

Standing in front of Shawna, the blonde boy crossed his arms and glared. If waking up the Devil Hunter wasn't going to work, he at least knew how to wake up the girl. After several seconds, a lazy eye opened and stared up at the person in front of her.

"Wha the Hell do ya wan?"

Even though she sleeps like a log, Shawna seemed to have a special sense that wakes her up whenever someone stands in front of her and stares.

"I was wondering when the Hell you were gonna wake up," Leon smirked in success. "Now, get up. I wanna see what this city looks like-"

"Go ask Natalie. She'll go with you. I wanna go back to sleep"

Shawna turned and faced away from Leon, mentally smirking when she heard him growl in annoyance. Ignoring the muttered profanities, Shawna listened to the footsteps move away. '_Ah. Sleep. Oh, how I love ya._' She ignored the footsteps as they came back and continued to keep her eyes closed. Only when she felt the sudden chill of something ice cold, did her body jump awake.

"Gya! Holy fucking crap!"

Leon had to drop the cup to cover his ears.

"Any louder and you would've woke up the whole neighborhood," he rubbed his sore ears.

"You fucking asshole! What the Hell!"

Leon ignored Shawna and walked to the front doors. Looking back, he grinned at Shawna's now-soaking body. The air around the girl seemed to simmer from heated anger.

"Glad to see you awake. Now, go get dressed, Shawn. We're heading out with everyone else," with that, Leon opened the door and went outside.

Shawna glared at the front door, mentally thinking of the numerous torture techniques she'll be planning to use against Leon later on. Growling, she reluctantly got up and shook her wet hair. Drops were flung everywhere, several landing on the Devil Hunter's face. Groaning, Dante opened his eyes and stared as Shawna walked passed him towards the bathroom. Hearing the door open and close, he stretched his arms over his head and cracked the cink in his neck.

"Damn. I was hoping on taking a shower this morning."

At that instant, the phone went off. Dante kicked the desk, causing the phone to fling up into his waiting hand.

"Devil May Cry."

"Heh. You sound pleased to hear me," a feminine voice spoke through the speaker.

"Ugh. Just cut to the chase, Lady," Dante slumped in his chair. "What the Hell do you want? It's five in the morning."

"...Dante, it's almost one-thirty in the afternoon."

"Really," Dante glanced at the clock on his desk, finding Lady to be right. "Heh. Well, I'll be damned. So what are you calling for?"

"I'm calling to get the money you owe me-"

"I've got no money, dammit."

"Then, what about that mission you were on a while ago? Hm?"

"...It wasn't even much, alright? A guy's gotta eat you know."

"Pft. Whatever."

Dante could hear a truck fly pass in the background, making him wonder if Lady was on the road.

"Anyways," Lady continued. "I've got a job for you. I'm sending Morrison over to tell you the scoop."

"Seriously? You're using that old man as your errand boy now. Ha! Never would've thought I'd see the day that would happen," Dante laughed.

"I'm being serious. Now, cut the crap and just get the job done. I'll be coming by afterwards for my share."

"Yeah, whatever," Dante hung up. "Heh. _My share_. It's more like the whole damned paycheck.

"What paycheck?"

Dante turned his head and saw Shawna standing next to him. '_When did she get there?_'

"How much did ya hear, kid?"

"...I've told you to stop calling me kid, old man. And to answer your question, I only heard the part when you said something about Morrison," Shawna weakly glared at Dante and shook her head.

"Hey, hey! Stop that," Dante lifted his arm to stop the water from hitting him. "Go fling that hair of yours somewhere else. You're getting everything wet."

"There's nothing here but you, your desk, and the pizza boxes that have been on the desk since two days ago...I though I asked you to throw them out, by the way?"

Dante ignored her and up, towering over Shawna's petite body. He smirked when he saw the twitch in her eye. Chuckling, he messed up her hair and walked away.

"And get a damned shirt on! No one wants to see your chest, Dante!"

"Are you sure? You seem to be enjoying the view," Dante smirked as he lifted his jacket off the coat rack.

Shawna fought to keep down the blush threatening to burn her cheeks. She snorted and walked over to the couch. Grabbing her gray shirt off the back, she put it on over her undershirt. She may not like wearing pajamas, but she refuses to not wear anything besides a tee-shirt and shorts.

"In your dreams, Devil Boy. I've gotta go. Leon wants me to go with him and the others for some sight-seeing. We'll be back later."

Dante watched Shawna as she walked out the front door, closing it behind her. Chuckling, he turned back to his desk and snatched Ebony and Ivory out from their drawer. He sat back down and began to disassemble his handguns for their daily inspection. '_I might as well stay until Morrison gets here._' He picked up his phone and called the pizza parlor down the street.

"Hey. Yeah, I want a large pizza. Make it your special Garlic Potato with Alfredo Sauce...I want it delivered to Devil May Cry...Yeah, thanks."

Dante reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. Finding it nearly empty, except for a few dollars, the Devil Hunter's eyes widened.

"What the Hell? Where did all my money go?"

…

"Hey, Shawna! Check this out," the twins ran at Shawna, grabbing her wrists and dragged her to a small store.

Shawna groaned but stopped when she saw what was inside. The window showed multiple cases with different people, cars, creatures, etc. on the covers. Below the cases were large boxes containing what looked like black devices of some sort.

"Xbox...360...and PlayStation 3?"

Shawna cocked her head to the side. These devices looked pretty cool.

"These look so cool. Let's go inside and check them out," Nick pulled on Shawna's hand.

"Yeah. This is awesome," Toni ran after his brother and Shawna.

"We'll catch you guys later," Shawna called over her shoulder, at Leon and Natalie.

"No need to worry Shawna! We'll just be across the street!"

Shawna shrugged out of the twins grasp, and ran to Leon, stuffing something into his pocket before Natalie pulled him into what looked like a lingerie store. Shawna could faintly hear Leon's protesting and Natalie's insistence. Sighing, she turned her gaze from the twins towards a large screen.

"Hi. Welcome to GameStop. Do you need help with anything," a young man, no older than Shawna, walked up to her.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. What are these?"

The boy glanced at the PlayStation box that Shawna was pointing at. '_Is this girl for real_.'

"That would a PlayStation 3 console," he had to resist laughing at the look on the girl's face. "You play games on it."

Shawna watched the employee show her a 'game' case, one the ones that were seen from the window. She snatched it out of his hands and examined it. She ignored the boy's laugh.

"You've never heard of games, nor game consoles?"

"Nope," Shawna gave him a 'what do you think' look. "Never have. What do they do?"

The boy cleared his throat and went into an in-depth description of what games and consoles were.

"Okay. I see," Shawna glanced at the game in her hands.

'_Games, huh? You buy game consoles and collect games that can be played on them. Hmmm. This sounds like fun._' Shawna walked over to one of the multiple shelves. There were games as far as the eye can see, but only the games for the 'PlayStation 3' caught her eye.

"Well, I'll let you look around. If you need anything else, I'll be at the counter."

Shawna nodded, not looking at the boy. She didn't even notice the unusual grin he gave her, but she didn't care. All that mattered were the games. She could hear the twins a few isles down, so she knew they were still alive.

"Bayonetta? Hmm. Looks cool," Shawna looked at the back of the case and immediately put the game away the moment she saw the half-naked witch on the back. "Okay! Not that one."

She looked at more games. There many titles like Final Fantasy – which looked interesting – MADDEN Football, a game with a purple dragon on it 'Spyro', and more. Shawna's attention got caught on one certain game.

"Call of Duty?"

She looked on the back and fell in love with the fiery explosions and gunfire.

"Ooohhh. I like. I like a lot," Shawna grinned, then looked at the top corner of the game case. "Fifty-nine dollars?"

Her eyes widened, but glittered. Her eyes traveled down to the console case at the end of the isle. '_PlayStation 3. Hehehe.'_ She saw the price of over three-hundred dollars for the console. She stuck her free hand in her pocket and felt the several wads of bills, earning herself a wicked grin.

"Hey, Toni, Nick! Come here!"

The twins came over immediately and swooned when Shawna showed them the PlayStation 3 game. After some debate, and the twins showing Shawna the games they found on the isle behind her. Their faces fell when they were told Xbox games cannot be played on PlayStation consoles. But they lit up again when Shawna found the same copies for the PlayStation 3, Resident Evil and The Darkness. After double checking how much they had, Toni, Shawna, and Nick ran to the counter with their items in hand. The boy from earlier looked shocked at the grins on the teens faces, but laughed it off.

"Ah. So you guys would like to buy the PlayStation 3 Bundle with Little Big Planet?"

"Little Big Planet? So there's a free game in there," Nick drooled a the thought, causing his friends to laugh.

"Hahaha. Yep. You're total will be four-hundred dollars and twenty-seven cents."

Shawna pulled out a small wad of cash, double-counted it, and gave it to the store clerk. Getting her change back and everything into a large bag, she followed the boys outside and towards the clothing store Leon and Natalie went into earlier.

"What the hell did you guys get," Leon peeked into the bag, but was pulled away by Toni.

"Now, now. It is a surprise," Toni wagged his finger in Leon's face.

"Yeah," Nick put his arm around Leon's shoulder. "It's gonna be a whole lot of fun."

Whilst the boys were talking, Shawna walked up to Natalie. The taller girl had a few bags of clothes.

"So what did ya get, Nat? Something good?"

Natalie turned to Shawna and grinned.

"Yep! I convinced Leon to buy me some clothes," Natalie showed Shawna the bags. "But I don't know where he got the money, though."

"Ah. Well, let me just say that someone was generous enough to lend us some money earlier," Shawna patted Natalie's shoulder. "But that's just between you and me, okay?"

"Okay? Oh, yeah. Shawna, do you need any clothes? I think Leon said he has some left over," Natalie turned and waved Leon over.

"Um. I don't think so," Shawna blinked. "I think I'm fine with these on-"

"Bullshit," Leon appeared out of nowhere, earning him a shriek of surprise. "You've still had those clothes since we first came here."

"Yeah, so? They're comfortable. And I still clean them every day."

At that comment, Shawna earned several looks of annoyance. Her eye started twitching.

"Okay, okay. Maybe not every day, but I do keep up with my hygiene."

"Whatever. Come on, guys. I want to get back before the old man decides to send the whole cavalry after us," Leon started walking off in a random direction.

Shawna and the others watched as Leon walked off, only to come back a few minutes later. Shawna couldn't help but smirk at the blank look on her friend's face.

"What's wrong? Can't remember where the shop is," the smirk grew as Leon glared at her.

"...No, I do not. How about you lead the way, Miss Smart-Ass. I'm sure that nose of yours can be more useful than just sniffing out pizza a mile away."

"Hey! What the Hell do ya take me for? A dog?"

"Guy," Nick went to try to calm the two bickering teens.

"Come on, we're drawing unneeded attention," Toni started to look uneased at the stares they were receiving.

"Screw them! They can watch! It's Leon's fault!"

"How is this my fault? You're the one with the loud mouth!"

"Shut up, Leon! You're the one who called me a dog!"

"I didn't call you a dog! You just assumed!"

"Oh, so now it's my fault!"

Unbeknownst to them, a tall, dark-haired woman was standing next to a black Suzuki bike. Getting ready to leave the weaponry store she had walked out of, only to see a rather strange group of kids standing on the sidewalk. She was going to ignore them when she started getting a strange vibe coming from their direction. '_What the Hell?'_ She shifted her discolored eyes to one of the two girls, the one with dark-auburn hair and rather close to the short stature. Something clicked in her head, and she immediately reached over her shoulder for the large gun strapped to her back.

"Demon!"

Shawna blinked when she heard someone yell out "demon". Everyone raised an eyebrow, before fear suddenly overtook their faces.

"Oh, shit!" they all took off in different directions, just barely dodging the missile that hit the ground just seconds after they jumped.

Screams filled the streets as people ran around and trying to get away from the area. Shawna got up and noticed that Nickolai had landed a few feet from her. Coughing a bit from the dust, she turned to look in the direction of the blast.

"What the fuck was that all about? Hey, Nick. Man, are ya alright?"

She could barely make out the coughing fit coming from the younger boy. She sighed in relief, knowing that he was at least alive. She turned her attention to the crowds of fleeing people. She panicked a bit when she couldn't see Leon, Natalie, and Toni.

"Leon! Nat! Toni! Where are you guys?"

"Shawna, we're over here!"

Shawna turned in the direction of Leon's voice and saw his shadow along with the other two.

"Nick's over here with me! Get out of here and try to get back to the shop!"

Shawna jumped when a barrage of bullets was aimed at her. Cursing, she grabbed for Nick and took off. The poor kid was still dazed, so she had no choice but to carry him. _'Dammit. What is it with people trying to fucking kill me? And why am I always the one carrying the guys? It's the job of the guys to carry girls, not the other way around!'_

"Gah! What? Who the fuck in the right mind is trying to kill me? And in the middle of public?"

"Get back here, you demon!"

Shawna growled and glanced over her shoulder, immediately freaking out and the sight of what looked like someone riding a motorcycle after her.

"Ack! It's a freak-ass lady chasing me on a motorcycle! This is unfair! Unfair! Dammit, God! I hate you!"

"Shawna, look out!" Nick cried out from behind her.

_'Holy crap. The kid's awake after all.'_ Feeling heat on her legs, she jumped as yet another explosion rocketed her and Nick forward. Shifting her body so that she'd take the impact instead of Nick, Shawna grunted as her back skidded across the pavement. Groaning, she got up and rubbed her head.

"Shit...Hey, Nick. You alright, man?"

"Ugh, Yeah, I'm alright," Nick tried to stand but his legs gave out on him. "Who was that?"

"I don't know, but we need to get out of here. Dammit. I'm so not cut out for this kind of shit," Shawna followed suit and got up to help Nick.

"Yeesh...Even when everyone's out to get you, you still curse like that. No wonder no guys have dared to even try to lay eyes on you. Aside from the gang of course."

"Yeah. _Of course_. We don't have time for that. Incoming!"

Shawna pushed Nick out of the way as the black motorcycle from earlier sped passed them, nearly hitting the boy had he not moved. Shawna landed back on her feet and glared at the figure as they slid the bike around, facing the two kids.

"Who the Hell are ya and what the Hell do ya want?"

The person didn't say anything, but grabbed a large missile launcher from behind their back. Shawna's and Nick's eyes widened in shock, _'How the heck is a human able to lift that thing?'_

"Silence, demon. Monsters like you don't belong here. Now, die!"


End file.
